Wake up & smell the connectivity

Industry 4.0, IIoT, Smart manufacturing, call it what you will, but it would seem that the age of the 4th Industrial revolution is well and truly upon us, at least in theory, if not practice, and as CDA enters its fifth year of publishing I can say that it is the overarching development to have dominated the market place since the magazine’s launch.

In same way that many different terms are used for 4IR, if you ask five people what they think is meant by the term, the chances are that you will get five different answers, which in many cases will reflect the vested business interests of the person giving the description. Understandably, this has lead to a degree of confusion  amongst some UK companies that could in fact benefit from implementing 4IR. Rather than embracing the developments, people are frustrated at what they perceive as a lack of clarity around what the concept actually is and some are naturally reticent to invest in something they don’t fully understand.

While my own personal idea of what 4IR means is probably as subjective, and indeed ambiguous, as the next person’s, one thing that I can be clear on is that if the UK industrial sector fails to uptake the latest developments, large swaths of it are in danger of being left behind in the global market. And as the UK will undoubtedly need to compete to an even great extent on the global market once it exits the EU, this is of vital importance.

In its recent report, The 4th Industrial Revolution: a primer for manufacturers, EEF The Manufacturer’s Association points to research showing that just 42% of companies surveyed felt that they are “familiar with the concept of the 4th industrial revolution” and a only a worrying 11% think the UK manufacturing sector is geared up to take advantage of 4IR.

Elsewhere analysis carried out by The Boston Consulting Group indicates that in Germany Industry 4.0 will be embraced, boosting productivity across all German manufacturing sectors by €90 billion to €150 billion. Productivity improvements on conversion costs, which exclude the cost of materials, will range from 15 to 25 percent. When the materials costs are factored in, productivity gains of 5 to 8 percent are expected. And let’s face it, who couldn’t do with that kind of increased productivity.

While CDA has always regularly covered 4IR and its associated technologies, from now on the magazine will feature a regular section dedicated to IIoT and Smart Technology, reflecting the increasing importance of the development. So if you are keen to find out more, make sure you check it out.