Industry 4.0

WHAT IS IT?

One of the key themes of Industry 4.0 is digitalisation. In this era of mass production, products can nevertheless be tailored to customers’ individual requirements. For example, they can be produced on demand and in the version preferred by the customer.
The main characteristics of the new production environments are digital delivery chains, digital products, services, and new business models, together with autonomous machines and virtual realities.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

Intelligent, digitally networked systems form the technical backbone of Industry 4.0. These systems are designed to create a production environment that is as autonomous as possible. Humans, machines, systems, logistics and products communicate and cooperate directly with one another. Machines are increasingly becoming autonomous units that acquire and analyse the data themselves, and then utilise it to help improve the production process.

WHAT ARE ITS BENEFITS?

The goal is to optimise the entire value chain. The companies questioned in a survey carried out by PwC expect Industry 4.0 to deliver an average increase in efficiency of 3.3% per annum. This translates into an increase of 18% over five years.¹