Preparing For Industry 4.0 And The Automation Revolution With An Expert Equipment Partner

By Larry Kadis

Companies engaged in chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing stand on the precipice of a fourth industrial revolution as they evaluate and initiate the transition into “Industry 4.0.”  Following the first three such revolutions––(1) the original transition from farming to factory production in the 19th century; (2) the introduction of steel, electricity and mass production in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and (3) the shift from analog to digital technology beginning in the 1950s––Industry 4.0 is a reorientation toward increased digitization and integration that synthesizes robotic machinery and cyber-physical sensor systems, communications infrastructure supported by the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and big data analytic techniques to create smart, self-regulating factories while generating a wealth of data accessible by operators, plant managers, corporate management, regulatory personnel and customers. Industry 4.0 is a new approach that gives companies the ability to track all stages of production and beyond, generating real-time feedback about product status, material availability, equipment maintenance and overall equipment and process effectiveness that can be acted upon immediately.