What is Industries 4.0?
“Industrie 4.0” originates from a project in the high-tech strategy of the German government, which promotes the computerization of manufacturing. While some experts associate a collection of solutions with Industrie 4.0 such as additive manufacturing, augmented/virtual reality, etc.. However, it is more appropriately described as a collection of design prinicples which manufacturers should strive for over time as they build capability and implement business and factory floor technologies:
-Interoperability : The ability of machines, devices, sensors, and people to connect and communicate with each other via the Internet of Things (IoT) or the Internet of People (IoP).
- Information Transparency : The ability of information systems to create a virtual copy of the physical world by enriching digital plant models with sensor data. This requires the aggregation of raw sensor data to higher-value context information.
- Technology Assistance : First, the ability of assistance systems to support humans by aggregating and visualizing information comprehensibly for making informed decisions and solving urgent problems on short notice. Second, the ability of cyber physical systems to physically support humans by conducting a range of tasks that are unpleasant, too exhausting, or unsafe for their human co-workers.
- Decentralized Decisions : The ability of cyber physical systems to make decisions on their own and to perform their tasks as autonomously as possible. Only in the case of exceptions, interferences, or conflicting goals, are tasks delegated to a higher level.
Smart Manufacturing involves the implementation of fully integrated, collaborative manufacturing systems that respond in real time to meet changing demands and conditions in the factory, in the supply network and in customer needs. Smart Manufacturing is essentially the framework label most often referenced in the U.S. that incorporates the design principles of Industrie 4.0.
At Connected Factory Global, we believe that the ability to efficiently extract meaningful data from Smart Manufacturing systems and translate it into valuable operational intelligence provides a distinct competitive advantage to manufacturers. Connected enterprises that are able to a mine data from their smart manufacturing applications and use it effectively will maximize the benefits and ROI associated with them.
Developing these capabilities represents the “Fourth Journey” that an organization must complete once it has completed journeys that evolve its organizational, operational, and technological capabilities. Connected Factory Global is the trusted advisor that provides objective advice, independent expert knowledge of the industry and the decision-based processes necessary to succeed on this Fourth Journey.
Contact us to learn more about creating your own Smart Manufacturing Road Map.
Smart Manufacturing: The Fourth Journey