Have you heard about a revolution taking place in the industrial sector? This revolution integrates physical and digital technologies in all stages of the production process and makes machines talk to and exchange commands with each other, storing data in the cloud, identifying defects, and making corrections in real time. The combination of these factors is transforming the traditional production process and leading to a development movement that has been named Industry 4.0.
Industry 4.0 is a concept that began to be implemented in 2013, originating from a German government project focused on new strategies that combine technology and means of production. The basic foundation of this new concept shows that factories that connect machines and systems have the capacity and autonomy to schedule maintenance, predict process failures, and adapt to unexpected changes that occur in the production stages.
The goal of the smart industry model is characterized by adaptability, resource efficiency, and integration of all those involved in the processes of value creation and strategy. To achieve this purpose, Industry 4.0 has its technological base composed of Cybernetic systems, Internet of Things, Big Data, and Cloud Data. Combined, these technologies aim to make production steps autonomous and more efficient.
In Brazil
Industry 4.0 is already a reality in countries like the United States and Germany. A survey on the adoption of technologies related to Industry 4.0 in Brazil, conducted by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), showed that the main challenge in the country is to bring together experts and industries for the expansion of knowledge about the benefits that this revolution can bring to the production chain. Furthermore, it is necessary that the government contributes in this process with the increase of policies that promote the digitalization of Brazil, because it is necessary that the digital infrastructure receives investments and professional training to increase the efficiency of technological platforms.
Essential Technologies
There are a few pillars that underpin the technological basis for the development of Industry 4.0. These pillars, which represent the main advances achieved in the area of technology in recent years, are: the Internet of Things, Big Data and the inclusion of cloud information. The main goal of the Internet of Things is to connect physical objects, environments, and machines to the World Wide Web, which in turn enables the collection and exchange of data between these items. Big Data, on the other hand, describes the gigantic volume of structured and unstructured data collected and stored by software, and is applied to the context of Industry 4.0 for the qualification of this data, transforming it into business-relevant information. Cloud ComputingGartner research indicates that by 2020, a corporate policy of not adopting the cloud will be as rare as a policy of not adopting the Internet today. It is not difficult to understand why. Cloud services follow strict security rules, offer a high degree of availability, and offer daily backups. Can you compete with that?
To adapt to this scenario, as well as learning new technologies, professionals also need to be trained to deal with the new way of working. People need to be qualified within this innovative production model, where the interaction between men and machines will be more intense.
And you, what do you think about the era of smart industries?