Industry 4.0, which refers to the fourth industrial revolution, is the cyber-physical transformation of manufacturing. The name is inspired by Germany's Industrie 4.0, a government initiative to promote connected manufacturing and a digital convergence between industry, businesses and other processes.
History and evolution of Industry 4.0
The first industrial revolution took place at the end of the
18th century and was marked by mechanization made possible by steam and
water power. The second industrial revolution, which occurred at the start of
the 20th century, was aided by electricity and marked by mass production,
assembly lines and divisions of labor. The third, around the start of the
1970s, came through the use of computers to further automate machines and
production processes
What are Industry 4.0 and the fourth
industrial revolution?
The fourth industrial revolution might best be described as an
extension of the third industrial revolution. Whereas Industry 3.0 introduced
computers into the manufacturing process, Industry 4.0 focuses on connecting
those computers to one another. However, Industry 4.0 goes far beyond systems
on the factory floor being able to communicate with one another. When fully
applied, Industry 4.0 allows for the creation of smart factories and
enables digital manufacturing.
Industry 4.0 and IoT
One of the major technological trends of the last decade has
been the adoption of IoT technologies. IoT essentially refers to the ability to
connect non-traditional computing devices to the internet or to private
networks.
Although the term is often used broadly, IoT often refers to
smart, connected, consumer devices. However, manufacturers have also adopted
the concept and have begun deploying large numbers of connected smart
sensors in manufacturing centers. The use of such sensors is often
referred to as Industrial IoT (IIoT).
IIoT is a key enabler of
Industry 4.0, but Industry 4.0 also commonly uses other connected technologies
such as smart machines and cyber-physical systems. All of these systems work
together to achieve levels of automation that weren't previously possible.
What are the
applications of Industry 4.0?
Industry 4.0 can be applied to all levels of the manufacturing
process from product development to product end of life. Additionally, some
manufacturers apply Industry 4.0 concepts to external resources such as supply
chains, thereby enabling them to better anticipate supply disruptions, while
also making it easier to source all of the materials used in the manufacturing
of a product.
Another way that Industry 4.0 is applied is acquiring
real-time data in manufacturing. This data can then be analyzed in an effort to
optimize operations. This can improve efficiency and reduce the time to market,
while also increasing the organization's productivity.
What technologies are driving Industry 4.0?
Industry 4.0 is driven by the convergence of technologies,
including the following:
- IIoT and the widespread use of sensors;
- big data and analytics;
- artificial intelligence and machine learning;
- LPWANs for machine-to-machine and IoT networks;
- IT/OT convergence;
- touch and voice interfaces and augmented reality systems;
- advanced robotics; and
- additive manufacturing.
What are the benefits of Industry 4.0?
Industry 4.0 provides numerous benefits to organizations that
choose to implement it fully.
One such benefit is that Industry 4.0 concepts can enable
OEMs to see how customers really used a product versus how it was expected
it to be used.
Another benefit is that sensor data can help an organization to
monitor the manufacturing process in real time. This data can then be compared
against a digital twin -- a simulation that runs at perfect
efficiency -- to determine where the process could be improved.
Some organizations have also applied Industry 4.0 concepts to
their employee training process. These training programs use augmented reality
to teach employees how to operate machinery and how to avoid unsafe practices
before the employee is ever allowed on the factory floor. Some organizations
even extend augmented reality-based training to other areas such as fire
suppression and first aid.
Another benefit to Industry 4.0 is that its principles can help
organizations avoid an outage on the factory floor. Prior to the adoption of
Industry 4.0, industrial machinery was serviced based on manufacturer
recommendations. However, Industry 4.0 has enabled machinery to be equipped
with sensors that monitor the machinery's health on an ongoing basis.
This enables organizations to anticipate problems before they occur and
proactively take corrective action. In some cases, the machinery can even
automatically place an order for replacement parts. All this together can help
an organization avoid a costly outage that disrupts the manufacturing process.
One more benefit to applying Industry 4.0 concepts is that
because the digital technology used on the factory floor is tied to back-end
corporate data systems, it allows big data analytics to be performed
on the data that is associated with the manufacturing process. Such analytics
can help the organization spot trends and gain insights that might ultimately
help it become more profitable.
What are the challenges of Industry 4.0?
Early on, the main challenges for organizations wishing to
implement Industry 4.0 were cost and interoperability. The machines and sensors
used on the factory floor often relied on differing protocols, making
communications between connected devices difficult. However, standards begun to
emerge as Industry 4.0 saw greater adoption.
Another major challenge related to Industry 4.0 is
cybersecurity. In the past, the systems used on the factory floor tended to be
proprietary in nature, and it was rare for such systems to be connected to one
another or to back-end IT systems. As such, the vendors who created such
systems rarely took a security-first approach to their development efforts.
Connectivity between devices and IT resources can expose these
devices to the same cyber threats that have long plagued traditional IT
devices. Additionally, a compromised IT system can provide an attacker with a
path through which to attack the resources used on the factory floor.
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