Industry 4.0 is already part of today’s world and is known as the new industrial revolution. Therefore, companies need to stay on top of this universe that is changing the course of the world even more, just as it happened in previous revolutions.
The central point of a revolution is the culture of innovation. The first industrial revolution took place in 1784 and was significant for society. The emergence of industry transformed activities that depended entirely on human labor, as mechanical production with steam engines was implemented.
The second industrial revolution dates back to the 1870s, innovated by replacing steam energy with electricity in factories and bringing the concept of the mass production line to our reality.
The third industrial revolution – which took place in 1969 – is marked by the automation of repetitive and mechanical tasks in industry, all due to robotic innovation. It is the technological process that reflects the innovation of the industry. To understand what Industry 4.0 means, we need to turn to technological innovation.
Even if it seems unlikely that something will overcome electronics and automated systems, the fourth revolution, also known as industry 4.0, which is already present in our world, has taken up space and proved superior to what we have today. That’s because technology is constantly evolving.
Currently, what else has been talked about when it comes to technology? You’ve probably thought about artificial intelligence, and that’s exactly what it is. Industry 4.0 is related to this innovation, and if you want to know everything that already happens in industry 4.0, we will share it with you in this article.
Industry 4.0 Is Already A Reality
Industry 4.0 emerged in the year 2010. The German government developed a major project that marked this date as the year of a new revolution. The trend towards personalized products and the evolution of enabling technologies opened doors for the computerization of fabrication and product manufacturing.
Industry 4.0 contains a set of technologies that enable physical-to-digital convergence, unlike other revolutions. In other words, the industry becomes more connected and more ubiquitous and promotes optimization and automation that are different from what we are used to seeing.
The machines become capable of performing complex tasks, and the operation is based on intelligent systems that make decisions based on previously collected, verified, and crossed data.
Therefore, the focal point of Industry 4.0 becomes the cyber-physical system that monitors physical processes and creates a copy of these processes, and, based on that, makes decentralized decisions. In this innovation, the factory is now called a smart factory. For all this to happen, industry 4.0 is based on several pillars. See what they are.
Industry 4.0 Pillars
Additive Manufacturing
Additive Manufacturing, commonly known as 3D Printing, is a resource used to manufacture prototypes and customized parts. Despite being an activity already carried out, with this innovation, there is no need to use physical molds.
Internet Of Things – IoT
The Internet of Things is nothing more than physical objects connected to the Internet so that they can perform their tasks in a coordinated way. In industry, this technology is used to obtain data. It is a way for managers to base their decisions on new sources of data.
But this innovation is also very popular in homes in developed countries; it provides a new experience in controlling home appliances and optimizing them, turning them into smart homes.
Cloud Computing
This feature allows virtual data to be stored in the cloud and accessed anywhere via the Internet.
Big Data And Data Analytics
Big Data is used to describe the large volume of digital data traffic. Thousands of pieces of information are generated all the time. Big Data and Data Analytics can collect, store, analyze and structure this volume of data.
Big Data has the potential to cross data, identify patterns and trends, and assist in decision-making. It is increasingly used in different areas, especially in the consumer experience.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is another pillar of Industry 4.0. Through it, it is possible to improve the use of IoT and Big Data because the machine starts to perform tasks and make autonomous and quick decisions on the production line.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is a resource used to protect the entire online communication network: servers, mobile devices, computers, networks, electronic systems, and data. People with no good intentions try all the time to rescue information available on the Internet that will bring them benefits. Therefore, cybersecurity became fundamental in the Industrial Revolution 4.0.
These pillars of Industry 4.0 are resources that enable the decentralization of decision-making, in real-time and only with data analysis, with no external dependence.
In this new environment, there is modularity because the industry starts to manufacture according to demand and virtualization since the automated processes can be analyzed online through cell phones, tablets, and computers.
Another feature that emerged mainly in industry 4.0 is interoperability, that is, the transparent communication of machinery with other machinery and between employees and machinery.
Also Read: Technologies for Digital Transformation
