Industry 4.0, is an evolution that makes it possible to collect and analyze data across machines, equipping faster, flexible and efficient processes to produce higher quality goods at lower costs. Ensued by the rise in digital technologies, this manufacturing revolution will enhance productivity, transpose economics, stimulate industrial growth, and transform the profile of the workforce – resulting in the change of competency levels of different corporations and sectors.
The automation is at the next level, which means that machines will operate independently or cooperate with humans in creating a customer oriented production field that is self maintained at an ongoing basis. The machine becomes an independent entity capable of data collection, analysis and making recommendations. This is possible by introducing self-optimization, self-cognition and self-customization into the industry. The manufacturers will be able to communicate with computers rather than operate them.
Rapid changes in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have broken the boundaries between virtual reality and real world. Underlying idea being to create a social network of machines communicating with each other called the Internet of Things (IoT) and with people, called the Internet of People (IoP).
Machines can communicate with each other and with the manufacturers to create what we call a Cyber Physical Production System (CPPS). This helps industries to integrate the real world into a virtual one. A Cyber Physical System (CPS) aims at the integration of computation and physical processes.The development of such a system can be split into three phases:
- Unique identification – The basic language by which a machine can communicate. RFID is a great example.
- Integrating sensors and actuators which means that a certain machine’s movement can be controlled and it can sense changes in the environment.
- Development of sensors and actuators allowing machines to store and analyze data. A CPS is equipped with multiple sensors and actuators that can be networked for the exchange of information.
Advantages of Industry 4.0 will extend to:
- Optimization: A Smart Factory containing myriad of Smart Devices able to self-optimize production will lead to almost zero downtime in production.
- Customization: Creating a flexible market that is customer-oriented will help meet the population’s needs fast and smoothly. The gap between the manufacturer and the customer will be minimum.
- Impelling Research: The adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies will necessitate research in various fields and will give a whole new perspective to education and training industry.
Industry 4.0 – Challenges
- Security: Perhaps the most challenging aspect of implementing Industry 4.0 techniques is the IT security risk. Online integration will give room to security breaches and data leaks.
- Capital: Such transformation will require a huge investment in a new technology that doesn’t sound economical. The decision to make such transformation will have to rest with senior management. Even then, the risks must be calculated and taken seriously.
- Employment: While it is early to speculate on employment conditions due to Industry 4.0, workers will surely need to acquire different or all-new skill sets. This may help employment rates to go up but will also estrange a big segment of workers.
- Privacy: This is not only the customer’s concern, but also the producers. The spread of data might look like a threat to customers’ privacy. In fact, small or large companies who haven’t shared their data in the past, will have to work their way to a more transparent environment.
Prevising Future Workforce
Industry 4.0 is propitious with revenues, investment, and technological advancements, but employment remains one of the most peculiar aspects of the new revolution. Introduction of new jobs, requirement of a smart factory worker to be able to compete in such an environment, lay off of the old workers, such concerns are valid to both employees and the employer.
This industry will introduce new jobs in big data analysis, robotics experts, and mechanical engineering. In an attempt to prepare for global adoption of Industry 4.0, researches are being done to determine the type of jobs that Industry 4.0 will introduce or the skill set that would be required in human capital. Some probable changes that may affect the demographics of the workforce will be:
- Big Data Driven Quality Control: Such a process depends largely on collecting real-time or historical data regarding the product. This is likely to increase the demand for big data scientists and decrease the need for quality control workers.
- Robot-Assisted Production: The workers who assist in production will be laid off and be replaced with smart devices, reducing the demand for such workers and instead hire ‘robot coordinators’.
- Self-Driving Logistics Vehicles: With self-driven vehicles and assistance of big data, many drivers will be laid off. Self-driven vehicles allow for restriction-free working hours and higher utility.
- Production Line Simulation: While the need for optimization for transportation declines, the need for industrial engineers to simulate production lines will increase.
- Predictive Maintenance: Smart devices will allow manufacturers to predict failures. Smart machines will be able to independently maintain themselves, which shall replace the traditional technicians with more technically informed ones.
- Machines as a Service: Instead of selling the entire machine to the client, the machine will be set-up and maintained by the manufacturer while the client takes advantage of the services provided. This will open up jobs in maintenance and require an expansion in sales.
Industry 4.0 is a revolutionary approach to manufacturing techniques with enormous economic rewards. This will shove global manufacturers to a new level of optimization and productivity. Customers will also enjoy a new level of personally customized products like never before. However, the large corporations and governments must focus on challenges arising out of these technologies to ensure a smooth transition. Plunging on research and experimentation are essential to business upsurge.
While many organizations might still have rebuttal about how Industry 4.0 could impact their business or scuffling for knowledge to adopt it for their unique use, several others are implementing changes today and preparing for a future where smart machines improve their business.
