Industry 4.0, also known as the fourth industrial revolution, is a term closely related to digital transformation, which is taking place in the whole industrial sector. This is an evolving concept. The ultimate goal is to establish smart factories and super connected logistics centers.
Main features of industry 4.0
The basic principle of industry 4.0 is committed to the automation and digitization of all processes, including not only administration and management, but also production. The goal is to achieve a far-reaching transformation of the work system to improve efficiency and profitability, and improve product quality and staff working conditions.
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According to the guidelines of industry 4.0, work quality includes making machines undertake the most repetitive, heavy and dangerous tasks, so that professionals and operators can focus on functions with more added value: Supervision, organization, continuous improvement, etc. in short, make work a more creative and interesting activity, achieve effective, profitable and rapid production level, and eliminate or minimize errors.
Industry 4.0 applications are global and diverse: from digitizing information to managing processes in a centralized and interconnected manner. Therefore, it is necessary to establish automation and robot production system.
The main distinguishing factor of the fourth industrial revolution is the use of the most innovative technologies, from ICT to automated machines and robots, as well as disruptive technologies. The latter includes artificial intelligence or big data. Their role is key and will be more important in the future to achieve all the goals of industry 4.0.
Smart factories and warehouses in industry 4.0 seek to operate more and more autonomously, using highly complex software and machines so that they can learn from their own experience and even predict difficulties and make their own decisions to solve problems.
Technology based on industry 4.0
Immersed in an increasingly competitive global market, the industrial sector is faced with the need to develop and manufacture high-quality, innovative and personalized products. All of these are fast, efficient and cost-effective. These are huge and complex challenges, which can only be realized by relying on the most cutting-edge and avant-garde technology.
To achieve its ambitious goals, industry 4.0 relies on the following key technologies:
Automation at all levels: industry 4.0 proposes global and comprehensive process automation from management process to assembly platform.
Robot platform: This is the development of automation to a higher level. Production lines and warehouses use various intelligent processing components connected to various software: WMS, ERP, MES, etc. To this end, artificial intelligence is increasingly used. Its use allows machines and software to learn from their own experience and make decisions, just like the human brain.
Hyper connectivity: it is about adding software to various objects through various remote control and management options. This technology is called the Internet of things (IOT).
Complex data analysis: the complex analysis of a large amount of data (called big data) enables us to establish behavior patterns or make various best decisions in advance, including operational decisions.
What has industry 4.0 achieved?
The great advantage of the so-called fourth industrial revolution is to improve the quality of the work itself, that is, the conditions of professionals and the products manufactured. A global and ambitious goal can only be achieved by adding the following improvements:
● optimize the process.
● minimize errors.
● reduce production interruptions.
● save personnel costs.
● use efficiency of energy and raw materials.
● improve product quality, improve its operation and add more and better functions.
● more flexible, fast and smooth production.
● global improvement of logistics process: warehouse organization, inventory and inventory control, accelerating order preparation, etc.
● employees are freed from the most repetitive and sometimes dangerous tasks.
● improve the profitability and productivity of the company.
