business
‘‘
TALKING
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4.0 world, sharing real-time data and insights
to make accurate decisions in the workplace,
they will also be able to have some of their
tasks automated by machines, allowing them
to work on new, less tedious tasks instead and
crunching delivery timescales.
This involves a significant change in the
industrial environment, a fresh approach to
workplace dynamics. One example of this
change is the 45,000 robots recruited across
Amazon’s 20 fulfilment centres.
“
INTELLIGENT
AND INTEGRATED
SYSTEMS PLAY A
VITAL ROLE FOR
MANUFACTURERS
THAT WANT
TO PUT THEIR
CUSTOMERS FIRST.
like muesli can be customised on a grand
scale is testament to the rapid progression
of Industry 4.0 and to MyMuesli’s successful
digital transformation.
Intelligent and integrated systems play a
vital role for manufacturers that want to put
their customers first, delivering instructions
to machines about specific customer orders
as they progress along the production line, in
an inversion of normal manufacturing.
In the case of MyMuesli, each package
moves around the factory on an intelligent
product carrier that tells filling machines
what to add to each muesli box according to
individual customer orders.
‘A machine can’t do it better
than me’
In short, sharing data makes manufacturing
more agile, bringing the days of moving in
silos to an end. Industry 4.0 requires a cultural change in the
way humans work with machines.
‘If you want it like that, you’ll have
to wait longer’ Not only will employees be able to work closer
across different departments in an Industry
Industry 4.0 is dawning a new age of
personalised manufacturing, combining
customised production with the speed
and on-time delivery expectations of
today’s consumers. This is the age of the
customer and customers demand bespoke
products fast.
One of many companies putting this into
practice is German cereal manufacturer
MyMuesli, which makes personalised
breakfast cereal for customers out of a
collection of 80 different grains, nuts and
fruits. The very fact that an FMCG product
44
INTELLIGENTCIO
“
Taking instructions from digital databases
and ERP systems and working alongside
Amazon employees, these robots pick and
haul packages weighing over 300kg at the
fast-pace needed to keep up with customer
demand. They do a job that wouldn’t be
safe for humans and staff can expect their
job roles to become more digital and less
manual as a result.
While the technologies associated with
Industry 4.0 – from robotics to the Internet
of Things (IoT) and from Big Data analytics
and artificial intelligence (AI) to 3D printing
– are transforming business processes. An
often-overlooked challenge is managing
the inevitable shift in workplace dynamics,
which is crucial to supporting the successful
integration of Industry 4.0 technologies.
These points are fitting examples
of attitudes that need to shift, as
manufacturers break down barriers between
departments, embrace customisation and
work in tandem with machines.
It’s up to employers and their teams to
embrace these changes and expand their
mindsets as they grow their businesses in the
Industry 4.0 world. n
IT’S UP TO EMPLOYERS
AND THEIR TEAMS TO EMBRACE
THESE CHANGES AND EXPAND
THEIR MINDSETS AS THEY GROW
THEIR BUSINESSES IN THE
INDUSTRY 4.0 WORLD.
www.intelligentcio.com