The Internet of Things is invading the world of manufacturing. This “fourth industrial revolution” will see a dramatic change in production processes based on the use of information and communications technology in all areas.
President of the German Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM) Professor Dieter Kempf asserts: “Industry is on the verge of massive change. The next industrial revolution will be characterised by widespread interconnection and the role of the Internet.” What he means by that is that information and communications technology will in future be more closely integrated than ever before into automation and manufacturing engineering.
Industry 4.0
In Germany this trend is referred to as “Industry 4.0”. Because academics and business leaders see it as nothing less than a fourth industrial revolution. The original industrial revolution involved mechanisation by water and steam power; the second was marked by the introduction of mass production based on the use of electric power; and the third was the digital revolution, with electronics and computer technology being applied to further automate industrial production.
Industry 4.0 is now all about objects within the factory becoming intelligent. They have barcodes or RFID chips on them, bearing all the data needed for the manufacturing process. Complex products “know” their constituent components, for example, how they need to be assembled and serviced, and what factors are important when replacing them. Integrated sensors supply data on the characteristic properties and states of the various objects. Scanners and computers read the data, transmit it online, and make sure the machines do everything they are supposed to do. In this way the smart objects are able to communicate with each other, creating a cyber-physical system.
Self-controlling production
An industrial Internet of Things is being created which is bringing about a complete reorganisation of the production process: the interconnection of machinery, plant, workpieces and products is creating intelligent manufacturing systems capable of controlling themselves and each other with no manual intervention. As a result, manufacturers are able to produce quickly and flexibly, to an entirely new quality standard, tailored to customers’ requirements. Industry 4.0 will enable manufacturers to manage the production of small lots in real time, delivering maximum quality at low cost. This will enable them to operate profitably on fluctuating markets and respond efficiently to global trends, offer a wide range of variants or make very small production lots, and meet individual customer requirements.
The advance of the Internet of Things is not just a German phenomenon of course: In the USA, for example, one of its embodiments is referred to as “Business IT”, while General Electric has coined the term “Industrial Internet”. General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt comments: “The interaction of industrial machines, infrastructure systems and personnel will greatly improve efficiency and profitability. The Industrial Internet is converging the world’s most innovative technologies in order to meet the major challenges we face.”