Industry 4.0 is the umbrella term for connecting and computerizing manufacturing through cyber-physical systems, networked sensors, and data analysis. The term originated in a German government high-tech strategy project in 2011.
The term "Industrie 4.0" was introduced publicly at the Hannover Fair in 2011. It frames current changes as a fourth industrial revolution, after mechanization, electrification and mass production, and automation with electronics and IT. The core idea is the cyber-physical system: machines, products, and software that exchange data and coordinate with less manual intervention.
Technologies usually grouped under the label include industrial IoT, cloud and edge computing, digital twins, analytics and AI, additive manufacturing, and advanced robotics. Standards work on interoperability, such as OPC UA and reference architectures, is a large part of it.
Industry 4.0 is a program and a vision, not a specification. There is no test that says a plant "is" Industry 4.0. The label is also heavily used in marketing. For practical decisions, it is more useful to name the specific capability: connected machines, traceability, predictive maintenance, and so on.
Questions about Industry 4.0
Where does the term Industry 4.0 come from?
From Germany. It originated in a German government high-tech strategy project in 2011, and "Industrie 4.0" was introduced publicly at the Hannover Fair that year.
What were the first three industrial revolutions?
Mechanization came first, then electrification and mass production, then automation with electronics and IT. Industry 4.0 frames current changes as the fourth, with the cyber-physical system as its core idea.
Is there a test for Industry 4.0?
There is no test that says a plant is Industry 4.0. It is a program and a vision, not a specification. For practical decisions it is more useful to name the specific capability, such as connected machines, traceability or predictive maintenance.
Industry 4.0 in real plants
- Krone and KUKA: In the greenfield factory in Ibbenbüren, built by KRONE subsidiary GTS, nine KUKA welding and handling robots work with autonomous mobile robots to make welded assemblies for agricultural machinery.
Related terms
Industrial IoT (IIoT)
Industrial IoT (IIoT) is the network of sensors, instruments, and machines in industrial settings that are connected to computers and software to collect and use operational data.
Digital twin
A digital twin is a virtual model of a physical asset, process, or system that is kept in sync with its real counterpart through live data.
IT/OT convergence
IT/OT convergence is the integration of information technology, the systems that handle business data, with operational technology, the systems that monitor and control physical equipment, so data and practices flow between them.
OPC UA
OPC UA (OPC Unified Architecture) is a platform-independent, open standard for exchanging industrial data securely between machines, controllers and software, published by the OPC Foundation and standardized as IEC 62541.
AI in manufacturing
AI in manufacturing is the use of machine learning and related techniques to support or automate decisions in production, such as detecting defects, predicting failures, scheduling, and tuning processes.