Industry 4.0 encompasses a range of transformational technologies. Where should you focus your energies?
The idea of a fourth industrial revolution was popularized as far back as 2015 by economists in response to a technological sea change that promised to upend the way we think about business. Unprecedented connectivity and the rise in machine intelligence and automation laid the foundation for a new all-digital workplace, followed swiftly by increasingly efficient and reliable ways to translate ideas and products between the digital and physical spheres.
Today, new technologies continue to explode in support of both the collective capabilities of Industry 4.0, and of manufacturers’ ability to capitalize on it. And after almost a decade of witnessing what works and what doesn’t, manufacturers and their technology partners are well positioned to evaluate where these next-generation industry technologies are finding success—and where they might be overblown.
The pace of technological and industrial innovation is neither universal nor constant, and there are plenty of manufacturers who are still at an early stage in their digital transformation. As we approach a new year that promises to bring widespread geopolitical and economic shifts, manufacturers can leverage the knowledge gained from Industry 4.0 thus far to pinpoint the strategic technological priorities that will drive them forward fastest. By pairing this knowledge with insights into the trends that will shape the industry in the near future—and with a certain amount of tech expertise—you can identify the high-ROI technology goals that will set you up for success as the Fourth Industrial Revolution marches onward. Here’s what to know.
Influential trends
Inflation, rising wages, labor shortages, elections in countries across the world, and more wide-ranging social, economic, and political factors will all make waves in the manufacturing industry in the coming months. For manufacturers who want to ride these waves, several clear trends are emerging. Some are continuations of long-standing shifts, while others are experiencing a new emphasis:
- Lessened, but still ongoing, supply chain disruptions
- Increasing deployment of AI, including generative or gen AI, and machine learning
- A rise in modeling, simulation, and software-driven manufacturing
- Increasingly sophisticated automation
- The importance of big data analytics
How you engage with, and capitalize on, these trends—and which Industry 4.0 tools you’ll use to do it—will depend on where your business is in its digital transformation process. Diving directly into a complex application will yield disappointing results if the right infrastructure isn’t in place first.
Essential modernization
For manufacturers at the beginning of their Industry 4.0 journey, certain tech tools are crucial first steps that will make possible a wider range of later applications. Considering the current state of the industry, these foundational investments are arguably the most important to focus on.
One pillar of Industry 4.0 is widespread, robust connectivity. Without it, arrays of sensors and monitoring systems would struggle to input information into a centralized bank. In addition, end users and control systems need real-time, always-on access to production line data to interpret information and execute changes.
Industry 4.0 hinges on the kind of fine-grained insights that emerge from enormous data sets. Manufacturers need sensors to record detailed production data in order to facilitate downstream analysis. Intelligent machines offer an added bonus in that they can record, interpret, and autonomously act on their own data (guided by operator instructions).
Building on maturity
With strong connectivity and widespread data collection in place, manufacturers can begin to leverage some of the more advanced Industry 4.0 capabilities in innovative ways to respond to market trends. Supply chain challenges will demand unprecedented levels of visibility and agility, while AI, automation, and analytics will drive industry standards for efficiency ever higher. To keep pace, manufacturers will need to prioritize strategic, high-ROI technology investments like the ones below.
Enterprise software integration
To take in a factory’s data streams, generate insights, and issue instructions fluidly, your software ecosystem needs a layer that can orchestrate all of your business data together. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are designed to do exactly that. But implementing an ERP is not a plug-and-play process—it’s critical that any management software, such as an MES or a production scheduler, integrate smoothly with your ERP so that you can take full advantage of your production data.
Supply chain scheduling
Industry 4.0 aims to use data to carve competitive advantages out of uncertainty. One prominent source of uncertainty in manufacturing at the moment is supply chain instability. With the detailed production and business data offered by a high-quality production scheduler and ERP, manufacturers can build an in-depth view of their supply chains that allows them to build in contingencies, predict hurdles, and respond swiftly to disruptions.
Data analytics and AI
The data that modern smart factories collect paints a rich, three-dimensional picture of business operations. Analytics targeting key performance indicators can use this data to assess performance, flag deviations, plan maintenance, and help you trace errors or bottlenecks back to their root cause. In addition, AI systems can ingest production data and offer insights on issues you hadn’t even thought to ask about. They can also streamline and, in many cases, even automate repetitive or laborious tasks.
Crucial to note, however, is that an AI is only as useful as the data it trains on. While many manufacturers are not yet considering wide-scale AI adoption in the immediate future, a forward-thinking strategy would suggest beginning the data collection process now. JobPack’s machine monitoring and data collection capabilities can supply the Big Data foundation for future AI projects, and give your business a head start as new technologies emerge.
Modeling and simulation
Increased processing power and data availability has enabled manufacturers to create digital twins of a wide range of assets, projects, and processes. These digital twins have all the same characteristics as their real-world counterparts and operate under the same rules, but are modeled entirely in the digital sphere, allowing manufacturers to test concepts and changes without having to commit costly resources to them.
This is straightforwardly an advantage when designing physical products, but also represents an enormous benefit for testing out workflows and process changes. A production scheduler like JobPack can incorporate real-time shop floor data and machine status alongside historical scheduling information to allow what-if planning, letting you test alternative schedules and gauge the effects on your productivity.
Make the most of your digital transformation with the right tools.
JobPack is a lightweight, easy-to-use production scheduler that supports your Industry 4.0 strategy. Collecting and interpreting production data are pivotal in modern manufacturing, and JobPack helps you accomplish both with machine monitoring modules and in-depth analytics, on top of its robust and intuitive scheduling capabilities.
A JobPack implementation takes weeks, in contrast to the months or years that a full ERP implementation can take, and begins delivering benefits immediately. As a standalone solution, JobPack brings order to your shop floor and turns uncertainty into answers. Integrated with your existing ERP, JobPack levels up your Industry 4.0 journey. To learn more about how JobPack can transform your manufacturing business, request a demonstration today.
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