Page 16 - Industrial Technology EXTRA - 6th April 2020

SMART MANUFACTURING...

Putting digitalisation into

practice to transform plants

With the use of Industry 4.0 technologies poised to explode, SKF's Phil Burge looks at

why delivering customer value is so important when implementing these systems, the
importance of cultural change, and how digitalisation is beginning to transform
business models and even the nature of industrial partnerships

s we usher in the fourth industrial
revolution, it is certainly an exciting time
to be an engineer. While technology is
Aplaying a huge part in our everyday lives,
the increasingly connected culture we live in is also
having an impact on the world of industry. Industry
4.0 refers to the combination of traditional
industrial platforms and practices with the latest
smart technology, and demand for this combination
is booming.
Consultant KPMG, for instance, estimates that
the component markets of Industry 4.0 are introduction. Rather, suppliers of these technologies
currently worth more than US$4 trillion. The and their customers should be focusing on the
benefits of this technology will also be widely felt. benefits that can be achieved from the use of such
The UK government claims that the use of this systems, and the practicalities associated with their
advanced technology could provide a £445-billion implementation.
boost to the nation's manufacturing sector and Advances in technologies for connecting
create around 175,000 jobs. machinery to the internet, controlling that
machinery remotely and gathering data from it have
Creating value unlocked the potential for significant improvements
The industrial internet-of-things (IoT) and Industry in the cost-efficiency, quality and productivity of
4.0 are currently some of the hottest topics of industrial operations. To fully harness these
conversation in manufacturing circles, but the focus benefits, however, this technology needs to be used
of these discussions has generally been on the in such a way as to deliver real and measurable
theory surrounding these revolutionary concepts value. Many suppliers choose to focus on the
and the technologies necessary for their widespread development of an Industry 4.0-based ecosystem,

6 April 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA! • p16