Industry Tecnology 4.
0
✅ Industry 4.0 Technologies – Explained Simply (continued)
4️⃣ Cloud Computing
👉 Cloud computing: It stands as the paramount catalyst for ushering in Industry 4.0 and
facilitating digital transformation.
✔️ This means:
Cloud computing is the most important driver for starting Industry 4.0 and making
industries digital.
👉 Beyond its conventional attributes of speed, scalability, storage capacity, and cost-
effectiveness, modern cloud technology serves as the fundamental bedrock for
implementing cutting-edge advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine
learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
✔️ This means:
Besides being known for speed, large storage, flexibility, and saving money, today’s cloud
technology also acts as the main base for using new technologies like AI, machine learning,
and IoT.
👉 By leveraging cloud infrastructure, businesses gain the necessary tools to foster
innovation and drive forward.
✔️ This means:
By using cloud systems, businesses get the tools they need to create new ideas and grow.
👉 Moreover, the data essential for powering Industry 4.0 technologies finds its home in the
cloud, while the cyber-physical systems central to Industry 4.0 rely on cloud connectivity
for seamless communication and coordination.
✔️ This means:
The data needed for Industry 4.0 is stored in the cloud, and the cyber-physical systems
(machines + digital systems) use the cloud to connect and communicate smoothly.
5️⃣ Augmented Reality (AR)
👉 Augmented reality (AR): It serves as a fundamental concept within Industry 4.0, offering
the capability to superimpose digital content onto the physical environment.
✔️ This means:
Augmented reality (AR) is an important part of Industry 4.0.
It lets us put digital information (like images, data) on top of real-world things.
👉 Through AR systems, employees utilize smart glasses or mobile devices to access a
wealth of real-time IoT data, digitized components, repair or assembly instructions, training
materials, and additional information directly overlaid onto physical objects, such as
equipment or products.
✔️ This means:
With AR, workers use smart glasses or phones to see real-time data, repair steps, assembly
guides, training, or other info, shown directly on the real equipment or products they are
working on.
👉 While still in its nascent stages, AR holds significant implications across various domains
including maintenance, service, quality assurance, technician training, and safety protocols
within industrial settings.
✔️ This means:
Even though AR is still new (early stage), it can be very useful in areas like:
✅ Maintenance
✅ Service work
✅ Checking quality
✅ Training technicians
✅ Improving safety at work
6️⃣ Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
👉 Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT): The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is intricately
intertwined with Industry 4.0, to the extent that these terms are frequently used
interchangeably.
✔️ This means:
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is very closely connected to Industry 4.0.
In fact, many people use these two terms as if they mean the same thing.
👉 In the context of Industry 4.0, nearly all physical entities, including devices, robots,
machinery, equipment, and products, are equipped with sensors and RFID tags, enabling
them to furnish real-time data regarding their status, performance, or whereabouts.
✔️ This means:
In Industry 4.0, almost everything (machines, robots, devices, equipment, products) has
sensors and RFID tags.
These devices send live data about their condition, how they’re working, or where they are.
👉 This technological integration empowers companies to streamline supply chain
operations, expedite product design iterations, pre-empt equipment failures, remain
attuned to consumer preferences, monitor product movements and inventory levels, and
undertake a myriad of other functions aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and
responsiveness.
✔️ This means:
By using IIoT, companies can:
✅ Improve supply chain operations
✅ Make product design changes faster
✅ Fix equipment before it breaks
✅ Keep up with customer preferences
✅ Track product locations and inventory levels
✅ And many more actions to work better and faster
✅ Industry 4.0 Technologies – Explained Simply (continued)
7️⃣ Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing
👉 Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, stands as a pivotal technology
fuelling the advancement of Industry 4.0.
✔️ This means:
Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is a key technology that is helping Industry 4.0 grow
and develop.
👉 Initially utilized primarily for rapid prototyping purposes, 3D printing has evolved to
encompass a diverse array of applications, extending from mass customization to
decentralized manufacturing practices.
✔️ This means:
At first, 3D printing was mainly used for making quick models (prototypes).
Now, it is used for many more things, like:
✅ making customized products for each customer (mass customization)
✅ making products in many different locations instead of just one big factory
(decentralized manufacturing)
👉 Through 3D printing, components and products can be stored digitally as design files
within virtual inventories, allowing for on-demand fabrication precisely where and when
needed.
✔️ This means:
With 3D printing, designs of parts and products can be saved as files on a computer (virtual
inventory).
This allows companies to print the product only when and where it’s needed (on-demand
production).
👉 This approach not only mitigates transportation distances but also slashes associated
costs, heralding a transformative shift in manufacturing paradigms.
✔️ This means:
This method reduces the need to transport products over long distances and saves money
on shipping and storage.
It brings a big change in how manufacturing is done.
8️⃣ Autonomous Robots
👉 Industry 4.0 heralds the rise of a new breed of autonomous robots, designed to execute
tasks with minimal human oversight.
✔️ This means:
Industry 4.0 brings a new generation of robots that can work mostly by themselves, without
needing humans to watch over them.
👉 Spanning a wide spectrum in terms of size and functionality, these autonomous robots
encompass inventory-scanning drones and autonomous mobile robots adept at pick-and-
place operations.
✔️ This means:
These robots come in different sizes and types.
Some examples include:
✅ drones that scan inventory
✅ robots that can move around and pick and place items automatically
👉 Leveraging sophisticated software, artificial intelligence (AI), sensors, and machine vision,
these robots possess the capability to undertake intricate and sensitive tasks.
✔️ This means:
These robots use advanced software, AI, sensors, and cameras (machine vision).
Because of this, they can do complex and delicate work.
👉 Moreover, they demonstrate the ability to perceive, interpret, and respond to information
gleaned from their environment, thereby enabling enhanced operational efficiency and
flexibility within industrial settings.
✔️ This means:
These robots can sense their surroundings, understand what’s happening, and react
accordingly.
This makes them more efficient and flexible inside factories and industrial workplaces.
9️⃣ Simulation / Digital Twins
👉 Simulation and digital twins represent integral facets of Industry 4.0, facilitating virtual
representations of real-world machines, products, processes, or systems derived from IoT
sensor data.
✔️ This means:
Simulation and digital twins are important parts of Industry 4.0.
They create virtual (computer-based) copies of real machines, products, or systems, using
data collected from sensors (IoT).
👉 These digital twins empower businesses to gain deeper insights into, analyze, and
enhance the performance and maintenance of their industrial assets.
✔️ This means:
Digital twins help companies:
✅ understand their machines better
✅ study how machines work
✅ improve machine performance and maintenance
👉 For instance, an asset operator can utilize a digital twin to pinpoint a malfunctioning
component, forecast potential issues, and optimize uptime through predictive maintenance
strategies.
✔️ This means:
For example, a machine operator can use a digital twin to find which part is broken, predict
future problems, and plan repairs early (predictive maintenance) to avoid downtime.
👉 By bridging the physical and digital realms, digital twins revolutionize operational
efficiency and decision-making within industrial contexts.
✔️ This means:
Digital twins connect real machines with digital models, leading to better efficiency and
smarter decisions in factories and industries.
✅ Industry 4.0 Technologies – Explained Simply (Final Part)
🔒 Cybersecurity
👉 Cybersecurity: In the era of Industry 4.0, where heightened connectivity and Big Data
utilization prevail, robust cybersecurity measures are essential.
✔️ This means:
In Industry 4.0, because everything is highly connected and lots of big data is used, it’s very
important to have strong cybersecurity (protection against hacking and data theft).
👉 Adopting a Zero Trust architecture and leveraging advanced technologies such as
machine learning and blockchain enables companies to automate threat detection,
prevention, and response mechanisms.
✔️ This means:
Companies can use Zero Trust security systems (never automatically trusting any device or
user) and new technologies like:
✅ Machine learning (AI that learns from data)
✅ Blockchain (secure data recording system)
to automatically detect, stop, and respond to security threats.
👉 By doing so, they can significantly mitigate the risk of data breaches and production
disruptions across their networks, safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring
uninterrupted operations.
✔️ This means:
By using these security measures, companies can:
✅ greatly lower the risk of hacking or leaking data
✅ prevent production problems
✅ protect important data
✅ keep their operations running without stops.
Road To industry 4.0
✅ Road to Industry 4.0 – Transition Challenges
👉 Transitioning to Industry 4.0 can be challenging for manufacturing organizations due to
complex legacy systems vital for daily operations.
✔️This means:
Switching to Industry 4.0 is hard for factories because they already have old, complicated
systems (legacy systems) that are important for their daily work.
👉 However, companies can upgrade gradually to reap Industry 4.0 benefits.
✔️ This means:
But companies can slowly upgrade their systems step by step to start getting the benefits
of Industry 4.0.
👉 Our Digital Manufacturing series explores techniques for swift solutions to real-world
challenges.
✔️ This means:
There are resources (like the Digital Manufacturing series) that teach companies quick
solutions to real problems.
👉 Manufacturing generates vast amounts of data, including materials, assembly
instructions, machinery information, and customer specifications.
✔️ This means:
Factories create huge amounts of data about:
✅ materials
✅ assembly steps
✅ machine details
✅ customer requirements
👉 However, research indicates that only a third of this data is utilized due to obstacles like
siloed data and inefficient management practices, representing a missed opportunity.
✔️ This means:
But studies show that factories use only about one-third of their data because of problems
like:
✅ data being trapped in separate departments (siloed)
✅ poor data management
This is a missed chance to improve.
👉 Digital applications like dashboards, analytics, AI, AR, VR, and computer vision have the
potential to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and mitigate risks.
✔️ This means:
Digital tools such as:
✅ dashboards (visual reports)
✅ analytics (data analysis tools)
✅ AI (artificial intelligence)
✅ AR (augmented reality)
✅ VR (virtual reality)
✅ computer vision (machines that “see” and analyze images)
can help work better, lower costs, and reduce risks.
👉 Leveraging these technologies could lead to performance improvements of up to 20%.
✔️ This means:
By using these technologies, companies could improve their performance by up to 20%.
✅ ROAD TO INDUSTRY 4.0 – Explained Simply (Line by Line)
👉 Embrace Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for efficiency and improved
data insights
👉 In shop floor settings, data gathering for compliance and business intelligence is hindered
by disparate legacy systems, relying on manual labor and causing time-consuming
processes.
✔️ This means:
In factories, collecting data for rules (compliance) or business analysis is hard because old,
separate (disconnected) systems are used.
It also needs manual work and takes a lot of time.
👉 Robotic Process Automation (RPA) resolves this by efficiently automating tasks, analyzing
large data volumes error-free.
✔️ This means:
RPA (Robotic Process Automation) solves this problem by automatically doing these tasks
and analyzing large amounts of data without mistakes.
👉 RPA deployment is swift and cost-effective, seamlessly integrating with existing systems,
yielding measurable results within months.
✔️ This means:
Setting up RPA is fast and not expensive.
It works well with old systems and shows good results in just a few months.
👉 Applied in various industrial processes, RPA enhances operations from back-office tasks
to core manufacturing.
✔️ This means:
RPA can be used in many factory activities, from office work (back-office) to main
manufacturing work to make operations better.
👉 Combined with AI and advanced analytics, RPA provides insights and predictive
capabilities for superior decision-making.
✔️ This means:
When RPA is used together with AI and data analysis tools, it can give useful insights and
predictions, helping managers make better decisions.
✅ Break down the data silos
👉 In legacy-heavy manufacturing and industrial settings, professionals spend significant
time navigating disjointed databases.
✔️ This means:
In factories with old systems (legacy systems), workers spend a lot of time trying to get
information from different, disconnected databases.
👉 Modern digital tools dissolve these silos, streamlining data collection and analysis.
✔️ This means:
Modern tools can break down these data barriers, making it easier to collect and analyze
data.
👉 Data virtualization, or "digital decoupling," enables real-time access and manipulation of
diverse data sources without replication, enhancing integration with minimal infrastructure.
✔️ This means:
Data virtualization (also called digital decoupling) allows workers to access and use data
from different places instantly, without copying the data.
It improves data integration without needing extra hardware or systems.
👉 This approach boosts security, governance, flexibility, scalability, and deployment speed.
✔️ This means:
This method improves:
✅ security
✅ data management (governance)
✅ flexibility
✅ ability to grow (scalability)
✅ speed of setting up systems (deployment speed).
👉 Pairing enhanced data governance with business process integration strategies is crucial
for optimal results.
✔️ This means:
It’s important to combine good data management with strategies that connect different
business processes to get the best results.
✅ Adopt hybrid cloud to enable agile innovation
👉 Cloud-based computing is crucial for Industry 4.0 and 5.0 technologies, yet some
manufacturing leaders hesitate to migrate critical data to third-party providers due to
security and latency concerns.
✔️ This means:
Cloud computing is very important for Industry 4.0 and 5.0, but some factory leaders are
worried about putting important data on outside (third-party) cloud services because of
security and speed (latency) issues.
👉 A common solution is a hybrid approach, blending on-premise, private, and public cloud
services with orchestration for agility and flexibility.
✔️ This means:
A popular solution is hybrid cloud, which mixes local (on-premise), private, and public cloud
systems together and coordinates them to be flexible and fast.
👉 This strategy expedites deployment across multiple sites or countries and aids
modernization efforts.
✔️ This means:
This hybrid method helps companies set up systems faster across different locations or
countries and helps update old systems (modernization).
👉 For instance, public cloud resources can trial new applications, ensuring only proven
technologies are incorporated.
✔️ This means:
For example, companies can test new software or apps on the public cloud first, and only
use the best ones in the main system.
👉 Cloud systems also offer faster upgrades, enhanced security, and stability compared to
on-premises infrastructure.
✔️ This means:
Cloud systems provide:
✅ faster updates
✅ better security
✅ more stable systems than only using local (on-premise) servers.
✅ ROAD TO INDUSTRY 4.0 – Explained Simply (Line by Line)
👉 Better data acquisition to enhance shop floor & supply chain visibility
👉 Improving data management on the shop floor is crucial as manual methods like
spreadsheets are error-prone and time-consuming.
✔️ This means:
It’s very important to improve how data is handled in the factory because using manual
methods like spreadsheets can have mistakes and takes too much time.
👉 Adopting IoT sensor solutions integrated into existing PLC and SCADA systems enables
real-time data acquisition, enhancing visibility and processing of shop floor events.
✔️ This means:
By adding IoT sensors to current PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and SCADA (control
systems), factories can collect data in real-time, making it easier to see and track what’s
happening on the shop floor.
👉 Harmonization tools unify disparate data fields, formats, and dimensions, reducing time
and cost for accurate insights.
✔️ This means:
Harmonization tools make different types of data work together in the same format, which
saves time, cuts costs, and makes insights more accurate.
👉 Visualization tools provide insight generation and integrate data points into downstream
processes, with digital dashboards displaying key metrics for efficient collaboration across
the organization.
✔️ This means:
Visualization tools (like charts, graphs) help turn data into useful insights and connect data
into later steps of production.
Digital dashboards show important numbers (key metrics), helping different teams work
together more easily.
👉 Design the right architecture to maximize the power of IoT
👉 IoT sensors in manufacturing infrastructure enable gathering of previously inaccessible
data like temperature, vibration, and CO₂ levels.
✔️ This means:
IoT sensors in factories can collect data that was hard to get before, like:
✅ temperature
✅ vibration
✅ carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels
👉 Manufacturers use these sensors to detect and promptly alert managers of safety and
quality issues, reducing damage and waste and improving asset reliability.
✔️ This means:
Factories use these sensors to find safety or quality problems quickly and warn managers,
so they can reduce damage, waste, and keep machines working reliably.
👉 Real-time data access helps prevent incidents like toxic leaks, crucial in industries such as
chemicals or oil and gas.
✔️ This means:
Having live data helps stop accidents like toxic gas leaks, which is very important in
industries like chemicals or oil and gas.
👉 IoT devices also enhance inventory and distribution management by monitoring products
in transit.
✔️ This means:
IoT devices also help track inventory and delivery, by watching products while they are
being shipped.
👉 However, integrating Industrial IoT (IIoT) applications with existing technology poses
challenges for many companies, often due to inadequate reference architecture design
principles.
✔️ This means:
But connecting IIoT systems to old factory technology is hard for many companies, often
because they don’t have a good system design (architecture) to follow.
👉 Leverage AI to produce forward-looking intelligence
👉 Machine learning (ML) and AI technologies unlock insights from data across shop floors
and supply chains.
✔️ This means:
AI and Machine Learning (ML) help factories and supply chains get useful insights from their
data.
👉 ML enables machines to learn from data without explicit programming, while AI
encompasses broader cognitive capabilities.
✔️ This means:
Machine Learning (ML) lets machines learn from data without being manually programmed
for each task.
AI is a bigger field that includes thinking and learning abilities.
👉 In manufacturing, ML finds powerful applications in predictive process control,
optimizing operations and minimizing machine failures and downtime.
✔️ This means:
In factories, ML is very useful for predicting and controlling processes, improving
operations, and reducing machine breakdowns and downtime.
👉 Predictive maintenance software, driven by ML algorithms, monitors machine
performance to predict faults, reducing downtime and maintenance costs by 10% to 20%.
✔️ This means:
Predictive maintenance software (powered by ML) watches machine performance to
predict problems before they happen, which cuts downtime and saves 10-20% in
maintenance costs.
👉 Enhanced Vision Systems, incorporating AI and ML, automate and enhance accuracy in
quality control and inspection tasks.
✔️ This means:
AI and ML-powered vision systems help factories automate and improve accuracy in
checking product quality and inspections.
👉 These systems perform visual tasks like part selection and defect detection faster and
more accurately than humans, improving efficiency and reducing downstream costs.
✔️ This means:
These vision systems can spot parts or detect defects faster and more accurately than
humans, helping increase efficiency and lower costs later in the process.
Road Map
✅ ROAD TO INDUSTRY 4.0 – Explained Simply (Line by Line)
👉 Product Configurations and Production Line Digital Twins
👉 Product Configurations and Production Line Digital Twins enable manufacturers to
virtually test new or updated production configurations, minimizing the risk of costly
oversights and reducing the need for lengthy trial and error processes.
✔️This means:
Digital Twins (virtual models) allow factories to test new production setups on a computer
before trying them in real life.
This helps avoid expensive mistakes and saves time because they don’t need to keep testing
by trial and error.
👉 By simulating various scenarios, teams can quickly identify potential problems and
bottlenecks in the system, saving time and money, especially in complex manufacturing
environments.
✔️This means:
By running different test situations in the virtual model, teams can find problems or slow
points (bottlenecks) early.
This saves time and money, especially in complicated factories.
👉 Integrated with IoT platforms and CAD, 3D emulation software allows for efficient
simulation of production line setups, optimizing flow and facilitating easier installation.
✔️ This means:
By connecting Digital Twins with IoT systems and CAD software, factories can simulate
production lines in 3D, helping to:
✅ improve production flow
✅ make installing the system easier
👉 Furthermore, Digital Twin technology can simulate hazardous scenarios to identify safety
risks, enhancing safety measures and mitigating the risk of accidents.
✔️ This means:
Digital Twins can also simulate dangerous situations to find possible safety problems.
This helps improve safety plans and reduce the chance of accidents.
👉 Predictive Notification for Maintenance
👉 Manufacturers gather diverse machine condition data, like vibration and temperature,
often in varied formats.
✔️ This means:
Factories collect different types of machine data like vibration, temperature, etc., but the
data may be in different formats.
👉 Digital Twin solutions unify this data, automating maintenance planning based on
machine condition.
✔️This means:
Digital Twins bring all the data together into one system and can automatically plan
maintenance based on machine health.
👉 When coupled with machine learning (ML), Digital Twins predict potential failures,
enabling proactive issue prevention.
✔️This means:
When Digital Twins work with machine learning (ML), they can predict when a machine
might break down, so problems can be fixed early before they happen.
👉 In the steel industry, thermal imaging predicts refractory brick lining deterioration using
computer vision technology, facilitating automated maintenance scheduling.
✔️This means:
For example, in steel factories, thermal cameras (thermal imaging) and computer vision are
used to predict wear and tear of brick linings inside equipment.
This helps automate when maintenance should be done.
👉 Digital Twins analyze patterns to predict future failures, optimize supply chain processes,
and enhance quality control.
✔️ This means:
Digital Twins study data patterns to:
✅ predict future machine failures
✅ make supply chain work better
✅ improve product quality checks
👉 These predictive capabilities reduce downtime, increase system availability, and enable
proactive maintenance by identifying anomalies in real-time.
✔️ This means:
Because of these predictions, factories can:
✅ reduce machine downtime
✅ keep systems running more of the time (higher availability)
✅ do maintenance early by spotting unusual problems (anomalies) immediately