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Industry 4.0 refers to the 4th industrial revolution currently taking place in manufacturing companies.
End of the 18th century FIRST REVOLUTION: With the introduction of steam pumps for production.
End of the 19th century SECOND REVOLUTION: Mass production with the introduction of electricity.
1970 THIRD REVOLUTION: The introduction of the transistor, electronics and IT.
Today FOURTH REVOLUTION: The Cyber physical systems.
We can explain the fourth revolution (industry 4.0) as the implementation of new technologies and techniques (sensor, Cloud, massive data analysis, etc.) in order to obtain better communication between different objects and/or resources (People, machines, products, customers, etc.) that are linked to the production, in order to be connected in real time to all of its resources.
The concept of Industry 4.0 represents a new way of organizing production methods: the goal is to set up “smart factories”. capable of greater production flexibility and a more efficient allocation of resources, leading the way to a new industrial revolution. Its technological foundations are the Internet of objects and the cyber-physical systems.
The entire industry has entered a phase of profound change that sees digital technologies integrate in the heart of industrial processes. This fourth industrial revolution gave birth to a new generation factory. Call it “Internet Factory”, “Digital Factory”, “Integrated Industry”, “Innovative Factory” or “Industry 4.0”, this technological breakthrough offers an extraordinary field of innovation, progress and growth. Characterized by the fusion of the virtual world of the internet relocated and the real world of industrial installations, the 4.0 industry becomes the essential reference for
industrial production.
IoT
The Internet of objects (Internet of Things) is the extension of the Internet of things and places in the physical world. While the Internet usually does not extend beyond the online world, the Internet of Things represents the exchange of information and data from devices present in the real world to the Internet. The Internet of Things is considered the third evolution of the Internet, called Web cyber-physical 3.0stèmes.
CPS
A cyber-physical system is a system where computer components work together to control and command physical entities.
Factory digitalization
Industry 4.0 is somehow the digitalization of the factory. Through the use of the Internet of Things and cyber-physical systems, in other words to the virtual network used to control physical objects, the intelligent factory is characterized by a continuous and instantaneous communication between the different tools and workstations integrated into the production lines and supply. The use of communicating sensors brings the tool production capacity of self-diagnosis and enables its remote control as its better integration into the global production system.
Flexibility of the factory and customization of the production
By offering production sites composed of intelligent objects, communicating and linked in the network itself connected to the outside, the flexibility of the production can be increased. The final consumer as well as the partners may take place in the process, enabling product customization and modification of their characteristics in response to requests or problems encountered by the suppliers, for example. It is therefore possible to provide a production that is both large-scaled and customized.
New logistics tools
Industry 4.0 generates a constant flow of information much higher than the one generated by traditional modes of production. Furthermore, this information must be exchanged as soon as possible with external logistics players instead of the production. The RFID system, for example, can be used not only to track products in a single factory, but also across the world. That is why it is very important to choose a logistics process able to exchange quickly and only once the information of the producer with all its providers.
Simulation tools
The collection of data produced by the various elements of the production line can also produce a virtual replica of all or part of the chain to generate simulations of processes or tests, but also to allow future workers and technicians to familiarize themselves with working tools and complex procedures or to also facilitate repairs and maintenance for non-specialists.
The performance simulations have highly evolved these last 5 years. Therefore, today, some process simulations, or workflow, reaching a level of robustness make new decision support tools. The modeling production lines, the storage spaces, the workflow, and all the industrial and logistics rules, allows to virtually represent a site of production or logistics. And this before any hardware investment.
An efficient factory in energy and raw materials
Industry 4.0 also has a desire to respond to current issues of resources and energy management. With a system organized by a communication network and an instant and continuous exchange, we are able to make this more efficient by coordinating the needs and availability of each element of the system in the most efficient manner and making new productivity gains.