A number of technologies are used to
make smart manufacturing a reality,
including the following:
If you are still sceptical, you should look
at the growing number of Industry 4.0
patents that have been awarded over the
last few years. In 2016 alone, over 5,000
Industry 4.0 patent applications were
submitted to the European Patent Office.
Samsung, LG, Sony, Intel, Amazon, Nokia
and Blackberry are some of the biggest
adopters of Industry 4.0 technology.
How much of a role will Industry 4.0
play in the manufacturing industry in the
future?
Manufacturers are becoming very
reliant on smart data and automated
manufacturing technology.
Amazon spurred the discussion by using
warehouse robots to help automate
many of their fulfilment processes.
The online retailing giant currently has
over 100,000 warehouse robots.
Brad Porter, the Vice President of
Robotics for Amazon, says that
warehouse automation and machine
learning are going to have a profound
impact on companies in numerous other
industries.
• The (IoT)
• Advanced robotics and automation
• Machine learning (artificial
intelligence)
• Smart and real-time data sensors
• Cloud computing
• 3D printing for digital fabricators
• Software analytics and data capture
• Mobile device technologies and
platforms
• Smart vehicle and transportation
• Real-time data processing and
communications
Porter states that robots won’t entirely
replace human employees in the
immediate future, because they lack
the ability to understand nuance and
improvise.
However, they are helping to reduce
human error in many types of jobs.
Numerous robots use highly advanced
route planning algorithms to help
associates fill customer orders. Other
robots are designed to lift heavy
products up to 24 feet.
Amazon is one of the companies that
has received the most publicity for its
utilisation of Industry 4.0 technology.
However, this technology has been even
more important for smaller companies
operating on lower economies of scale,
because it allows them to cut their
long-term operating costs and boost
production enough to compete with
competitors that have been slow to
adapt.
One African gold mining company used
similar technology to improve its profit
margin by 3.7% and reduce annual costs
by £20 million.
What are some of the benefits of using
Industry 4.0 technology?
You need to consider the long-term
benefits of using industry 4.0 technology
in your manufacturing business.
Long-term cost-effectiveness
You might be hesitant to adopt Industry
4.0 technology because the initial
infrastructure costs can be high.
However, the ROI can be substantial after
you amortise the cost over time.
You will also reduce the cost of human
labour, waste and fines for compliance
failures.
You may also realise a massive increase
in productivity.
If you purchase the right manufacturing
automation systems, it can pay for itself
quickly.
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