Industry 4.0 is energizing manufacturers as it transforms the way they produce and distribute their products.
These manufacturers take full advantage of the advanced systems and devices that are the hallmark of Industry 4.0. These include:
- Smart sensors
- Internet of things (IoT) platforms
- Convergence of IT and OT
- Location detection technologies
- Advanced human-machine interfaces
- Aggregated data and predictive analytics
- Advanced visualization
- Wireless and mobile capabilities
- Augmented reality / wearables
As manufacturing facilities undergo digital transformation, they start to become smart factories.
The advanced ability to collect, aggregate, and analyze real-time data leads to process improvements, supply chain control, and better customer service.
Benefits of Industry 4.0- Increased speed and throughput
- Cost reduction
- Higher profits
- Quality improvements
- Greater worker safety
- Reduced waste
- Improved agility
- Greater customer satisfaction
- Resiliency in the face of disruption.
Pilot Purgatory
The benefits of Industry 4.0 are enormous. However, some organizations have not fully realized Industry 4.0. Many are stuck in “pilot purgatory”, that place where companies have started digital transformation but got stuck and were unable to move forward.
This condition develops when a company does not have an Industry 4.0 roadmap that guides them through the different levels of digital transformation.
We call those levels the six stages of Industry 4.0 maturity.
