Big data analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing are all familiar concepts. As key technologies under the Industry 4.0 umbrella, it is likely that each of these will begin playing a significant role in reshaping the way you operate your manufacturing processes much sooner than you might imagine.
According to Gartner, Industry 4.0 is a framework for addressing the digitalisation of complex value chains and the efficient collaboration between businesses, IoT, technology providers and consumers. Industry 4.0 extends beyond the digitisation of physical assets, with the vision of a digitally enabled industrial economy that integrates business processes and data across multiple supply chains and value chain participants.
Intelligence that delivers in a crisis
Data analytics, IoT and the cloud are platform technologies for the fourth industrial revolution, providing manufacturers with a path to smarter practices. In turn, these smarter processes deliver the necessary intelligence and visibility that food manufacturers need to optimise their operational efficiency.
Industry 4.0 ultimately equips food manufacturers with the right information, at the right time; and to the right people. Peer-to-peer wireless connections mean more data can be captured without the additional overhead of having to wire in sensors and disrupt the manufacturing operation. This leads to a higher degree of connectivity between the automation level and the manufacturing execution system (MES). All areas of the shop floor can be included: even areas that may have been deemed less important or too difficult to get connectivity, and that means higher visibility at little additional cost – which ultimately provides a clear line of sight into the entire production floor.
