Industry 4.0

The first industrial revolution was marked by a disruptive transition from hand to machine, and from farms to factories. A hundred years later with the invention of electricity, the world was introduced to the miracles of automation. The baton of progress was further passed on with the invention of computers in the 1970s. Introduced only in 2011 and fast-evolving, Industry 4.0 is the next big stage in the Industrial Era. Characterized by a network of machines that are connected to each other, it aims at giving rise to factories that are essentially autonomous. It optimizes all aspects of your manufacturing and supply chain processes by giving you access to real-time data, boosting efficiency and profitability of your entire operation. With Industry 4.0, a smart factory is no longer a distant vision.

One of its key proponents is the theme of ‘interconnectedness.’ It offers machines, devices, sensors, and people the ability to connect and communicate with each other via the Internet of things, or the internet of people. Furthermore, information transparency enables the units of a smart factory to collect and process data more efficiently than ever before. It also provides technical assistance that shields the human workforce from redundant and unsafe tasks, so better utilization of resources can be pursued. The technology also enables decentralized decision-making, empowering machines to carry out tasks autonomously.