Increasing Transparency And Confidence Through Real-Time Data Sharing

By John Chapin, Senior Automation Engineer, and John Morse, QA Lead, Strategic Growth Investments and Engineering, Lonza Biologics

Three industrial revolutions catalyzed by steam, electricity, and the computer, respectively, have occurred over the course of history and drastically changed the landscape of how goods are manufactured. The next transformation taking shape is being dubbed as Industry 4.0, which is the digitization of manufacturing utilizing data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Interconnectivity, real-time data sharing, and automation are used to increase transparency across an organization’s people, production line, and in the supply chain, leading to increased efficiency in manufacturing. This movement is fueled by more informed, and eventually autonomous, decision making as automation spreads throughout the business functions. A digitally connected plant is required for this transformation to occur.