The term Industry 4.0 is a classification based on different stages of industrial development. According to the current consensus, Industry 1.0 is the steam engine era, Industry 2.0 is the electrification era, Industry 3.0 is the information age, and Industry 4.0 is the era of using information technology to promote industrial transformation, which is also the era of intelligentization.
What is Industry 4.0?
Industry 4.0 is essentially "Internet Plus Manufacturing." While "Industry 4.0" is a concept introduced by Germany, the US calls it the "Industrial Internet," and my country calls it "Made in China 2025." These three are fundamentally the same, all pointing to the same core: intelligent manufacturing. With intelligence as its core, "Industry 4.0" has created a dream of a bright future for manufacturing, triggering a massive industrial revolution and industrial upgrading globally.
Five key characteristics of Industry 4.0
Connectivity: The core of Connected Industry 4.0 is connectivity, which means closely linking equipment, production lines, factories, suppliers, products, and customers.
Data: Industry 4.0 connectivity and product data, equipment data, R&D data, industrial chain data, operational data, management data, sales data, and consumer data.
Integration: Industry 4.0 connects ubiquitous sensors, embedded mid-range systems, intelligent control systems, and communication facilities into a smart network via Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). This smart network enables interconnection between people/machines, machines, and services, achieving a high degree of horizontal, vertical, and end-to-end integration.
Innovation: The implementation of Industry 4.0 is a process of innovation and development in the manufacturing industry. Innovations in manufacturing technology, products, models, business formats, and organizations will emerge one after another, from technological innovation to product innovation, to model innovation, to liquid innovation, and finally to organizational innovation.
Transformation: For China's traditional manufacturing industry, transformation actually means shifting from traditional factories, from 2.0 and 3.0 factories, to 4.0 factories. The entire production model is shifting from mass production to personalized customization. In fact, the entire production process is becoming more flexible, personalized, and customized. This is a very important characteristic of Industry 4.0.
Industry 4.0 is a gradual process involving many different enterprises, departments, and fields, developing at different paces, making cross-industry and cross-departmental collaboration inevitable. Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) are spreading to different industries globally, and by implementing Industry 4.0 and IoT technologies in their own business environments, companies will have more opportunities to create profitable business models.
