I first wrote about the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the 2013 book The Digital Enterprise. A collaboration with the CEO of Software AG, most of the examples profiled there were Germany based. At the same time, companies like GE were rolling out their vision of the Industrial Internet in the US and elsewhere. Today, it is far more mainstream and showing up as “Advanced Manufacturing” all over the world.
Plex does a very nice job capturing the excitement of this wave reshaping shop floors, logistics and customized products all over the world in their annual State of Manufacturing survey
“In review of the survey findings, there are a number of major factors that emerge as the foundation for the 4IR. Without question, cloud computing has been a universal accelerant for this innovation, supporting connected processes that extend across the shop floor and out into broader customer and supplier ecosystems. With cloud comes connectivity, enabling everything from tighter links across production ecosystems to better system, equipment, and end-product integration. Every day, new devices and equipment, both those designed specifically for manufacturing and those conceived for other industries or even consumer markets, are providing new opportunities for innovation and connection. From additive manufacturing (3D printing) to connected sensors and wearable devices, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is delivering new endpoints to enhance the ways we design, build, sell, and service products.”
Get yourself a copy. If you are only using cloud computing for your administrative functions and your IT infrastructure, you are missing out on the Revolution.