Industry 4.0: meaning, opportunities and concrete examples of smart manufacturing

What is Industry 4.0? Industry 4.0 indicates that process of digitization of the manufacturing sector which, by renewing the value chain, changes the way of working but also the nature of organizations. The level of innovation is such that today the synonym of Industry 4.0 is smart manufacturing, where the "smart" suffix becomes the common denominator of an integrated information management, associated with the use of digital technology.

From the Robots to the advanced Internet of Things

From self-learning robots to the pervasive adoption of advanced sensors (designed to enhance monitoring and control capacity along the entire supply chain), together with a processing power and increasingly reliable and secure connections; from the use of 3D printers to the latest generation programming that introduces simulation modes and new applications of augmented reality, digital promotes integration and cooperation between companies and inter-company, elevating the quality of information flows and time to the nth degree to market the business. Smart manufacturing and the smart supply chain, in fact, are the declinations of the Internet of Things paradigm that is bringing more effectiveness and more intelligence in many sectors and business areas.

Optimize processes with Industry 4.0

Optimizing processes by bringing efficiency and greater visibility into every link in the supply chain ensures multi-directional communication within all production processes. The data, put into the system and recorded without interruption, from the supplier to the consumer, offer companies a new predictive analysis capacity, which ensures a wide information base to improve products and services, supporting the best decisions. There is no Industry 4.0 without Big Data Management and a Business Intelligence supported by more and more customized analytics. But that suffix 4.0 also means an innovation in terms of the use of technological resources that, thanks to the various Cloud formulas, changes approaches and development strategies. In fact, as a service and pay per use, companies can choose the best technological innovation respecting the increasingly stringent budget constraints, transforming the initial investments (Capex) into recurring costs (Opex).

Industry 4.0 in Italy

From the steam engine to automation, from information technology to the digital transformation that marked the transition to the so-called fourth industrial revolution, many things have changed for businesses. According to the Digital Innovation Observatories of the Milan Polytechnic, Italian Industry 4.0 today is worth 1.2 billion euros. In particular, the Smart Manufacturing market in 2015 moved almost 10% of total investments in the industry and in 2016 analysts estimated a growth of 20%. Over 600 applications have been surveyed in Italy: the researchers point out that the annual growth is equal to + 30% in which the technologies of Industrial IoT and Industrial Analytics have been protagonists. A growth, however, not always aware: in fact, analyzing the level of maturity with which the Italian industry is facing the digital transformation of the company, it emerges that less than 4 companies out of 10 (38%) have not yet clear the topics of the Industry 4.0. In fact, many of the projects are in the pilot phase and mainly involve large companies: SMEs are almost absent. One of the reasons linked to this cultural gap is attributed by the experts to the lack of digital skills: more than 6 companies out of 10 (62%), in fact, have several gaps to fill. To change things and accelerate the times for a digital conversion of the Country System is the Government that, with the Calenda plan, has offered some guidelines but, above all, a series of incentives that will favor the Italian Industry 4.0.

Who does Industry 4.0 (and how)

"Technological intelligence is no longer linked only to machines and people," explained Enrico Tantussi, Country Manager of Econocom Italia. "But it has become ubiquitous and pervasive: buildings, but also means of transport, have become intelligent and technological. products and their packaging. With the Industry 4.0, the technological ecosystem is expanding, increasing the levels of monitoring and control that help us to manage a plurality of resources in the name of a more virtuous sustainability and a security that improves the quality of life. Digital is teaching us to share and collaborate through a new ability to do more and do better, helping us to reduce operating costs and work in compliance with regulations. "

The Industry 4.0 case history of Servair

This is the case of Servair, an international player for air services that, in order to automate the reception of goods and vehicles, has embraced a model of Industry 4.0 thanks to Econocom which, as a technology provider, has set up a system that combines Cloud platforms, SaaS paradigms and a strongly mobile approach, has made it possible to rationalize operations and increase airport security, not only optimizing consumption and costs, but also reducing the number of vehicles circulating and the carbon footprint.

The case history Industry 4.0 Aldes

Another example of excellence for Industry 4.0 is Aldes, a company specializing in air conditioning and air quality systems. Thanks to Econocom, Aldes has integrated a new system intelligence that, by making connected and communicating the devices with the central system and with the devices of the final customers, allows to manage in real time the information, guaranteeing a real time access to the collected data , which exploiting the paradigm of the Cloud, avoids burdening the systems, tertiarizing complexity. All this introducing a better data traceability that allows to guarantee the monitoring and the quality of the processes.

Smart manufacturing: the best strategy is disruptive

"Whether we talk about Industry 4.0 or smart manufacturing - concluded Tantussi - it is important for companies to understand how many opportunities there are in designing, building and putting into production integrated technologies capable of responding in a scalable and flexible way to the needs of the business without excessively burden the IT department. In this innovation path, the role of technological partners is fundamental. The Econocom group, which also includes its satellites (Bizmatica and Asystel), thanks to its technological and financial engineering skills, is a bit 'the alter ego of Industry 4.0, the driving force that accelerates the progress brought by digital technologies , freeing companies from the obligation to bear heavy initial investments and managing a complexity that is not part of the core business ».

Industry 4.0: flexible implementation models are needed

One of the keys to success of Industry 4.0 and of smart manufacturing, in fact, is the possibility to choose flexible implementation models for extremely disruptive innovations. Abandoning the concept of technology ownership, aiming at obtaining the best quality of services that technology must guarantee, is an integral part of a long-term strategic vision of innovation that allows to obtain important competitive differentials.