What is Industry 4.0?

The challenges faced by manufacturing companies require far-reaching optimisation of fleet utilisation and a high degree of flexibility in operations, maximising the benefits achieved while reducing the expenditure incurred. To implement these objectives, it is increasingly not enough to use classic automation solutions. The design and construction of production machinery today must make wider use of developments in information technology, as well as introducing new robotics solutions. One of the keys to success will be that the infrastructure in place is well prepared for the practical implementation of Industry 4.0. Let’s find out what this concept is all about and see how it translates into concrete action.

What is the concept of Industry 4.0?

The development of technology to date can be depicted as a series of leaps in terms of the main driver for achieving increases in manufacturing capacity and improved economic performance. The first stage (Industry 1.0) was the use of the steam engine. The second (Industry 2.0) was the spread of electricity and the third (Industry 3.0) was the widespread use of industrial automation. Industry 4.0 is based on a combination of robotisation with full access to information and autonomous data exchange between individual devices.

How can the idea of Industry 4.0 be put into practice?

See also: How does the design and engineering process work?

A solution to benefit from the advantages of implementing the idea of Industry 4.0 will be the integration of individual devices with MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems)-class information systems. These offer the possibility of gaining real-time insight into the operation of specific machines, which opens up the possibility of better management of maintenance functions, but, above all, a more perfect connection with ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems used to plan production and the supply of materials and components. The result is a significant streamlining of processes and considerable savings, as well as a fuller utilisation of existing production capacity.