Industry 4.0
What is Industry 4.0?
The intelligent machine
Industry 4.0 is the merging of real production with the virtual world – a world in which information technology is fully incorporated into production processes. Systems in mechanical engineering, logistics and services all communicate with one another in a new, intelligent way. The "internet of things" has truly brought a revolution to the entire industrial sector - and new benefits for customers: Production cycles are shortened, customer needs are incorporated in real time, maintenance is largely carried out automatically, orders are automatically filled in the right order ... The result: The "smart" factory.
The fourth industrial revolution
The term Industrie 4.0 was first used in Germany at the 2011 Hanover Fair. It refers to the fourth in a series of technological revolutions: The first began with the invention of the mechanical loom and the increased use of water and steam power at the end of the 18th century. This was followed by the introduction of electrification, the production line and mass production at the start of the 20th century (2nd revolution) and in the 1970s, the automation of production with the help of electronics and IT (3rd or "digital" revolution). This digitalization has also made the fourth industrial revolution possible: It allows the integration of processes and systems across sectors and technologies, revolutionizing production, services provision, logistics, and resource planning. In the interaction of virtual and real worlds, communications involve a large number of interfaces. Here is where new standards are needed.
