New whitepaper on Industry 4.0 now available

The new "IT infrastructure in the context of Industry 4.0” whitepaper
from Rittal is now available to download. 

The document is aimed at decision-makers as well as anyone 
responsible for production and IT and details the opportunities that 
Industry 4.0 is creating through new and existing infrastructures. 



The whitepaper shows how IT and production can be effectively
 interlinked, and outlines the interdependence of "back office” and
 "factory” functions. It also highlights the similarity of the challenges
 faced by production managers and system administrators as well
 as the differences that continue to exist between them. To function
 effectively and maximise the benefits afforded by Industry 4.0
 the differences between these two parts of the business must
 narrow. 



The whitepaper identifies data quality as one of the key requirements 
to deliver success under Industry 4.0. There are also some suggested 
practical ways that businesses can start to apply Industry 4.0
 methodologies and a demonstration of how Rittal components and
 solutions can help create an Industry 4.0 infrastructure.



Why Industry 4.0 is important

Manufacturing needs to rapidly and flexibly adapt to new customer 
requirements and market demands. 

The concept of Industry 4.0 is one where businesses can automate
 their production processes to a greater degree, and where machines
 can network with each other, making production processes more
 flexible.



The basis of Industry 4.0 is underpinned by IT systems that represent
 the entire value chain across design and manufacturing. It is a network
 of intelligent machines that communicate with one another creating
 self-regulating manufacturing processes and providing highly efficient
 volume production (even with small batch sizes).



The "IT infrastructure in the context of Industry 4.0” whitepaper can 
be obtained free of charge from the Rittal website: www.rittal.com/whitepaper .