INDUSTRY 4.0

THE WORLD HAS ALREADY seen three industrial revolutions since the 18th Century and the fourth is underway.

- Jayesh Shah

The First Industrial Revolution began in the late 1700s wherein the shift occurred from agrarian to machine and process-driven manufacturing, which led to mass production of goods. Then the telegraph was invented, the advent of railways happened and this led to faster movement of people, raw materials and finished goods. Additionally, electricity reached factories and the Second Industrial Revolution took place.

The first-ever assembly line was successfully created by Oldsmobile as a result of this. The invention and then mass production of computer technology and programmable controls started the Third Revolution in the mid to late 20th Century.

The focus here was on digitalisation in factories, with microprocessors and other technology being used in machines. What we are in the midst of now is the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, a term coined by the German government.

While the earlier three revolutions did cause major changes, this fourth one is fundamentally different. It brings about the fusing of physical and digital technologies, known together as cyber-physical systems (CPS), and leverages interconnectivity via the Internet of Things (IoT), real-time data analytics, artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

The four core components of Industry 4.0 are:

● Interconnectivity - all moving parts in the manufacturing process namely, machines, devices, sensors and people are connected and communicating with one another via IoT.

● Information transparency data is collected at all intersections and disseminated for informed decision-making.

● Technical assistance intelligent systems assist humans in decision-making and problem-solving, as well as for difficult or unsafe tasks.

● Decentralised decision-making - the ability of systems to take decisions and perform tasks autonomously.