One topic that was discussed during this year’s conference is Industry 4.0. This is one blog post in a series of several that will discuss Industry 4.0 – what it is, how you can achieve it, and how an ERP solution such as Visibility helps you achieve it. Our first post will discuss Industry 4.0 at a high level so you understand where it came from and the principles behind it.
So what exactly is Industry 4.0? Industry 4.0 is defined as having visibility into the real-time status of your company’s manufacturing processes. It has also been described as the “fourth industrial revolution”. This idea originated from a project in the high-tech strategy of the German Government, which promoted the computerization of manufacturing.
What are the principles behind Industry 4.0?
- Interoperability. The ability of machines, devices, sensors, and people to connect and communicate with each other via the Internet.
- Information Transparency. The ability of information systems to create a virtual copy of the physical world by enriching digital plant models with sensor data.
- Technical Assistance.
- The ability of assistance systems to support humans by aggregating and visualizing information comprehensibly for making informed decisions and solving urgent problems on short notice.
- The ability of cyber physical systems to physically support humans by conducting a range of tasks that are unpleasant, too exhausting, or unsafe for their human co-workers.
- Decentralized Decisions. The ability of cyber physical systems to make decisions on their own and to perform their tasks as autonomously as possible. Only in the case of exceptions, interferences, or conflicting goals, are tasks delegated to a higher level.
Stay tuned for more posts to come in our Industry 4.0 series on how it can be achieved and in what ways an ERP system like Visibility can help you achieve it. To learn more about Visibility's ERP solution, click here.
