Tag Archives: Industry 4.0

Megatrends for this decade – XLII

Working with smart machines From what I have discussed it is obvious that in this decade work will be intertwined more and more with intelligent machines (Machines used to include both hard -robot like- and soft -applications). As pointed out in previous posts, artificial intelligence extends the applicability of automation …

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Megatrends for this decade – XL

Artificial Intelligence driving automation Many industries have adopted automation in both production, using robots – RPA: Robot Process Automation -, and document flow (process automation). This has had a significant impact on the workforce, both in terms of downsizing (activities moved from blue collars to robots and from white collars …

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Megatrends for this decade – XVII

c) On-demand production The efficiency of the distribution chains coupled with the flexibility of production lines have made possible an amazing change in the production processes and in the relation with the market (and with the end customer). Just two decades ago when buying a car you would have been …

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Megatrends for this decade – XVI

b) design through Digital Twins Digital Twins have become an integral part of the manufacturing process, being used both as a tool and as a mirror of the product being manufactured. Actually, several companies are now starting to use digital twins in the design phase and in doing so they …

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Megatrends for this decade – XIV

  13. Instant economy of Things The great change brought by the Industrial Revolution was the production of goods for an unknown customer. Think about it. Before the industrial revolution production was handled by artisans and they worked on demand. Their wares were manufactured based on customer’s specification, be that …

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Megatrends for this decade – VII

6. Everything is smart, embedded intelligence This Megatrend may appear “outdated”. If you look around with a lay-person’s eye you’ll see plenty of ads claiming “intelligence” of products, most of the time in a ridiculous way. The first (that I know of) “intelligent” toothbrush debuted at CES 2017, now you …

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6G does not exist, yet it is already here! – XVIII

The quest for new players Telecommunications biz was born as a vertically integrated sector. The separation between “Operators” and “Manufacturers” took place soon but the two worlds have remained closely interconnected. The ITU, International Telecommunication Union, saw the participation of both Operators and Manufacturers (the members of ITU, a branch …

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Leveraging Patterns – VI

Looking a bit further into the future, smart grids can become widespread sensors, covering a factory, a city, a railway infrastructure, a whole region or Country.For sure smart grids will need plenty of data for balancing power demand with power offering and these data are both generated and used within …

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Pervasive AI in Industry 4.0

I recently re-read the interview given by Henrik von Scheel (considered to be the inventor of the concept of Industry 4.0) back in 2018, one and half year ago and stopped reflecting on its validity now. The name of Industry 4.0 was actually a marketing label for a report prepared …

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Planning for the New World – VII

Developing Sustainable Business Models Sustainability is a no brainer. Ask anybody if they want a sustainable world or a world where resources are progressively depleted, plastic litters the oceans, air is polluted and you can guess the answer. The question then is why are we not pursuing in a determined …

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