Factory 4.0 is seen as a key pillar of a new industry in the 21st century. In this factory, technology not only enables completely new automation processes and thus efficient production, but also individualised mass production.
The digital age is creating a new form of networking between production, sales and consumers.
Virtual networks such as the Internet, but also the digital infrastructure that serves as a +Internet of Things The production of the 21st century has completely new possibilities for an industry that works closely with consumer demand and saves costs in many areas of production. Imagine a factory as a multiple networked production facility. The industrial robots that work here are not only in contact with the system (see +Internet of Things), which controls the entire production process. They also receive signals from +Drones and others +robotsthat supply you with the right part for assembling a product at the right time.
Factory 4.0 is also networked with the smart home. The machines of 21st century industry receive information from consumers' private homes as well as from the offices of modern companies. Intelligent devices automatically report to manufacturers when the materials they need for their daily work are running low. The printer, which automatically reorders cartridges as soon as the ink runs out, is just one example. Many traditional products are now also equipped with RFID technology. This feeds information about the object's environment into a virtual network.
More content on this topic in the book:
- Just-in-time production
- Individualised mass production
- Networked factories
- Factory 4.0 and blockchain
- Individualised furniture and room design
- Industry 4.0 and employee health
- Further reading
This short extract is taken from the book: TRANSRUPTION®
24 key technologies of the future in one book - in one strategy - implementing digitalisation strategically instead of experimenting haphazardly!