Are You Ready For Industry 4.0?
We have entered the fourth industrial revolution. The society we live in today has been shaped by the past three industrial revolutions of mechanization, mass manufacturing, and computerization, but the fourth industrial revolution will usher in a new era of innovation and transformation.
The convergence of the physical and digital worlds - is redefining the nature of manufacturing, creating interconnected networks of smart facilities, agile supply chains, and customers. While companies recognize the opportunities, many do not know where and how to start.
Industry 4.0 is transforming how…
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Products are created.
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Supply chains are managed.
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Value chains are defined.
Transforming Your Manufacturing Facility is a 4 Step Process
Learn
Develop a shared language for alignment by becoming familiar with Industry 4.0's main concepts, across people, business divisions, and partners.
Assess
Analyze the maturity levels of existing facilities in relation to Industry 4.0: Companies can classify themselves into one of six different bands by looking at their present procedures, frameworks, and organizational structures via each dimension. It should be highlighted that while these factors should be considered, their relative weight will vary based on the demands of the business and the sector it serves.
Design
Create a complete transformation plan and roadmap for implementation: Our framework serves as a checklist to guarantee that all the building blocks, pillars, and dimensions are formally examined. A step-by-step improvement guide assists companies in identifying high-impact projects and developing comprehensive implementation roadmaps with well defined phases, goals, and dates.
Deliver
Deliver impact and maintain transformation projects: After a business has created its transformation roadmap, our frameworks and tools also operate as a living blueprint that the business can use to track and improve its Industry 4.0 activities over a number of years.
Technology as a Building Block
The three most recent industrial revolutions were built on technological development. The first industrial revolution was made possible by the discovery of steam power, whereas the second was sparked by advances in electric power. Similar to Industry 2.0, Industry 3.0 was propelled by the development of electronics and Information Technology (IT) systems, which enabled businesses to attain an unmatched level of automation, accuracy, and efficiency.
Technology is still crucial in Industry 4.0. Physical assets and equipment are interconnected with business systems to enable the continual and dynamic interchange and analysis of data in a hyper-connected industrial landscape, thanks to new digital technologies like cloud computing, machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT). In consequence, these cyber-physical systems help businesses become more flexible and adaptable. High levels of automation, all-pervasive connectivity, and intelligent systems are required for businesses to realize their Industry 4.0 aspirations.
This has led to the segmentation of the technology building block into the three pillars of automation, connectivity, and intelligence.
Process as a Building Block
Technology must always be used in conjunction with efficient, well-designed Processes to maximize value. A badly planned process will only produce a poorly designed digital process when it is digitalized utilizing technology. On the other hand, incorporating technology into a well-established process will increase its effectiveness and allow to produce new value.
Companies have employed process enhancements to reduce costs and accelerate time-to-market ever since modern production began. Previously, businesses focused their efforts on enhancing the effectiveness of certain processes. The idea of process improvements has been broadened under Industry 4.0 to concentrate on the integration of processes within a firm's Operations, Supply Chain, and Product Lifecycle. This is a result of the new philosophy that intelligent facilities should be connected to every link in the manufacturing value chain.
Data will be exchanged, processed, and integrated throughout the product management, production, and enterprise levels of the organization as operations within Operations, Supply Chain, and Product Lifecycle become more connected. The next step forward in flexibility and efficiency will result from this.
Smart Industry Readiness Index
SIRI Framework
Operations
The planning and execution of procedures that result in the creation of goods and services are included in the first pillar, Operations. The ultimate objective is to produce goods and services at the lowest possible cost using labor and raw materials. While this purpose remains the same in the context of Industry 4.0, businesses now have access to new technology and strategies to do it more quickly and more effectively. Companies may utilize data analytics, for instance, to minimize waste by identifying and optimizing ineffective processes. Wireless communications may also be used to link separate systems and processes, enabling remote asset monitoring and decentralized asset control.
Supply Chain
From the point of origin to the point of consumption, supply chain management includes the planning and control of raw materials and inventories for a company's products and services. Traditional supply chain models will become more digitalized under Industry 4.0, with operations being connected by a sensor network and managed by a centralized data hub and analytics engine. Additionally, choices concerning costs, inventories, and operations will be made holistically rather than separately as a result of the digitalization of supply chains. All participants in the value chain benefit from this progression, which increases speed owing to shorter lead times, flexibility due to real-time optimization for changing demands, personalization, efficiency, and improved effectiveness.
Product Lifecycle
Every product goes through a series of phases, from its original conceptualization to its final withdrawal from the market, and these phases are referred to as the product lifecycle. These phases cover everything from client usage, servicing, and disposal to design, engineering, and manufacturing. Manufacturing operations have always required a strong product lifecycle management framework; however, shorter product cycles and a rising desire for personalization have highlighted the need for more integration and digitalization across the various Product Lifecycle phases.
It is now simpler than ever to combine data, processes, business systems, and people to build a single, unified information backbone that can be controlled digitally thanks to advancements in digital technologies. A "digital twin," a virtual replica of the actual assets, procedures, and systems used over the course of a product lifetime, is another idea introduced by Industry 4.0. A digital twin has two main advantages. The first benefit is the seamless sharing of the data produced at each level, which improves decision-making and allows for dynamic process optimization at later stages. This enables businesses to accelerate consumer response times by cutting the length of the design and engineering cycles. Second, working with a digital twin eliminates the constraints imposed by using physical prototypes.