Industrie 4.0
What is the next step for Industrie 4.0? The term Industrie 4.0 celebrated its premiere at HANNOVER MESSE more than ten years ago. Industrie 4.0 is the update on Made in Germany for German industry, making for a new umbrella brand that brings together sensor manufacturers, automation companies, robotics producers, software creators and users.
Fresh enthusiasm was generated for automation, and so also for the digitization of industrial processes – a development that attracted young people to companies in the industrial sector.
A new way of thinking in industry
HANNOVER MESSE was and is the perfect showcase for Industrie 4.0. Not only is it still all about networked machines, sensor technology, data and information, and new business models, but also about a new way of thinking in industry: companies need be present on their own platforms or else develop and run them themselves, automation companies must collaborate with customers, must also think in an open-source way, develop products together, involve young companies, new sectors such as the gaming industry, learn from one another, collaborate in new constellations (coopetition), earn money with other business cases (subscription), and cooperate even more closely on research. That is not always easy, so Industrie 4.0 is a cultural issue as well.
The asset administration shell as a showcase project
Has that all been achieved yet? Definitely not. The criticism of the term Industrie 4.0 also stems from the fact that it was very heavily politically loaded, that at the beginning the mindset was that each and every component had to be made "intelligent", which often did not pay off, and that there was no rapid upturn in productivity. In the early years, the Silicon Valley corporations became targets to emulate. The fever of digitalization was contagious. In the meantime, companies have been refocusing on their own strengths, and the tech concerns in particular have increasingly sought contact with German SMEs and Industrie 4.0. Companies are now reaping the initial fruits of their endeavors. The asset administration shell – often journalistically shamed in light of its officialese – was and is a showcase project and provides a standardized description of components upon which many exhibitors at HANNOVER MESSE are now building with their products and offering their customers added value.
A vision in small portions
Some industry representatives are now invoking a new phase in the digitalization of industry. Machine learning, IIoT, 3D printing and 5G are key elements of this phase, and also to be integrated under the umbrella brand of Industrie 4.0. Many SMEs are still hesitant in this context, however. There is uncertainty about the revolution. Industry 4.0 describes a vision. That said, SMEs frequently need rapid solutions to their challenges. The vision therefore needs to be served in small portions, in adaptable use cases. This is the challenge for Industrie 4.0 at HANNOVER MESSE 2023. The technologies are available, the proof of concept exists, now the promise of plug, play and – above all – produce must be fulfilled.
HANNOVER MESSE delivers both: vision and use cases for SMEs, it is the knowledge platform for Industry 4.0.
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