How industry 4.0 will transform manufacturing as we know it

The idea of the fourth industrial revolution is now more than a decade old. Though Henrik von Scheel is generally acknowledged as the father of Industry 4.0, the term though gained mass currency when Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF) spoke about it at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual gathering in 2015 at Davos.

Industry 4.0, at its very basic, is about incorporating artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, quantum computing, additive manufacturing and the Internet of Things (IoT) into everyday practices in manufacturing. Across industries, Industry 4.0 and concepts of smart manufacturing are becoming crucial to value creation from the perspective of research and development (R&D) on the shop floor.

A focus on Industry 4.0 will enable industry to focus on key functional pillars such as technology, integration / collaboration, and processes. This includes an emphasis on mega trends Cloud computing, Big Data and Cyber Security that are expected to be key enablers for smart manufacturing.

Industry 4.0 has the potential to transform manufacturing in India by bringing operational efficiencies to manufacturing industries like automotive, electrical and electronics.

Industry 4.0 Presents a Massive Opportunity

In 2020, McKinsey identified 10 industry sectors that could potentially add $320 billion more in gross value added (GVA) to the Indian economy with proper reforms. These included chemical products and petrochemicals, agriculture and food processing, electronics and semiconductors, capital goods and machine tools, iron ore and steel, and automotive components and vehicles. All these sectors are great candidates for smart manufacturing innovations and stand to benefit extensively from adopting Industry 4.0 principles.

Even beyond revenue generation, the impact of Industry 4.0 can be significant. In mining operations for example, a 3D virtual replica of the mine can pinpoint safety hazards accurately before sending miners, thereby enabling contingency planning. AI was successfully used by a team of doctors at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Medical Science in 2016 to detect a rare form of leukaemia in a patient that had gone undetected using conventional testing methods. Using an AI system jointly developed by IBM, they studied the patient’s genetic information and compared it with 20 million oncology studies to arrive at the diagnosis.

Key Considerations to Build a Future-ready Factory

For Industry 4.0 to be implemented seamlessly, below are some key considerations.

Autonomy and Data

Autonomy goes beyond simply adding smart sensors or automating repetitive tasks such that human intervention is reduced. There needs to be a far more holistic approach, that leverages data generated during manufacturing processes to drive innovation across the shop floor. Autonomous robots can help increase efficiency and productivity drastically while driving up revenue due to improved order fulfilment rates and delivery speed. At the same time, they can help reduce errors and risks and improve employee safety, and customer satisfaction.

Automation is not about replacing human workers. Rather, it is about eliminating mundane, repetitive, time-consuming tasks, thus freeing up resources for high-value strategic work.

A Holistic Approach to ‘Smart’ Adoption

For autonomous solutions to truly deliver, there needs to be an interplay of technology, ecosystem, and business models that come together and work synergistically. This means setting the roadmap to serve as a guideline to ensure alignment with long-term goals. For instance, just investing in drone robots to automate a certain process is likely to yield fewer results than if the entire ecosystem is geared to leverage the drones to its maximum advantage.

When industry 4.0 principles span the entire life-cycle right from design and engineering, to production to quality assessments, the value generated is that much greater. Automation technologies such as IIOT (Industrial Internet of Things), 3DP (3-dimensional printing) 3D sensors, social software, augmented reality, and location awareness can help usher in the next era of smart production.

The Opportunity for India

Manufacturing represents one of the greatest opportunities for India, not only to spur economic growth but also for job creation and driving innovation. The Government of India has set an ambitious target of increasing the contribution of manufacturing output to 25 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2025, from 16 per cent currently. To achieve this objective, “Make in India” must be integrated with the principles of Industry 4.0 and make the transition to smart manufacturing.

India’s first smart factory is in progress at the Indian Institute of Science’s (IISc) Bangalore’s Product Design and Manufacturing (CPDM) Center, with an investment from The Boeing Company. Various Indian companies are increasing their focus and partnering with other companies for developing new IoT and M2M solutions, the Digital India initiative from the Government of India is expected to enhance the focus on IoT in tackling the domestic challenges.

Smart manufacturing technologies can offer a shot in the arm to boost India’s potential for long-term competitiveness and sustainability as it works towards earning its position as a global manufacturing hub.

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