By Ricardo Lemos 
Every day we are bombarded with all kinds of information, some of which talk about the Internet of Things, human-machine communication, Artificial Intelligence, intelligent automation, cyber-physical systems and the industry of the future, etc. It all sounds like science fiction, like living in a matrix, doesn’t it? So get out of the capsule and see reality with your own eyes. None of this is fiction. It’s all real, it’s happening right now.
In school, we are repeatedly taught about the Industrial Revolution in history classes. There, we learn about the process of industrial development in the 18th century and how it transformed the way we live. This transformation was a turning point in history and in almost every aspect of daily life. Of course, everyone was influenced in some way by this process at the time. The population began to experience a sustained growth unprecedented in human history. After that, the process of industrial evolution followed suit and underwent four significant transformations in less than 170 years:
Industry 1.0 – The era of mechanization, with the emergence of the steam engine and the mechanization of manual labor in the 18th century.
Industry 2.0 – The era of electricity, with the emergence of mass production and assembly lines in factories in the 19th century.
Industry 3.0 – The era of industrial automation, computing and electronics in the 20th century.
Industry 4.0 – The era of cyber-physical systems and digital transformations, thus marking the fourth and new industrial revolution, starting in the 21st century, Industry 4.0, also known as I4.0.
With the arrival of I4.0, there was an economic interconnection between people, machines, products, companies, robots, software systems and industries. This development affects not only production and storage processes, but also digital operational workflows and business processes throughout the entire production chain of organizations. This interconnectivity is growing rapidly and is replacing manual processes. However, this requires strong, reliable and secure integration between this network of people, processes and systems, thus forming the Value Chain. This integration is one of the main drivers of Industry 4.0.
It is important to remember that a Value Chain represents the set of activities carried out by an organization, from relationships with suppliers and production and sales cycles to the final distribution stage. This concept was introduced by Michael Porter in 1985.
To better understand this entire transformation, it is important to look at the nine pillars of I4.0, that is, the technologies involved in the entire process of building and developing this new industry:
- Information security
- Big Data
- IoT (Internet of Things)
- Augmented Reality
- Autonomous and collaborative robots
- Cloud computing,
- Additive manufacturing
- Simulators
- Systems integration
BENEFITS OF INDUSTRY 4.0
More efficient use of resources. With Industry 4.0, you can customize workflows and business processes more efficiently and thus save important resources. As a result, employees can focus on activities that add more value to your company.
Capacity gains. With automated workflows and processes, resources and capabilities that were previously blocked due to lack of time and people are now freed up. As a result, these new production capacities can be reinvested, thus increasing the competitiveness of organizations in the market.
Increased quality. When workflows and processes are automated, there is a significant increase in their degree of quality. Flows are planned in detail, implemented and tested extensively before the designs are implemented through simulations. This means that 100% quality can be achieved.
According to an article recently published by writer Lais Grilleti from Endeavor Brasil, the biggest gains of I4.0 are:
- Increasing productivity through optimization and automation
- Digitization of products in an interconnected ecosystem
- Data generated today shapes the products of tomorrow
- Predict what will happen before the production line stops
Writer Lais Grilleti also states in her article that: “The disruptive capacity of Industry 4.0 is so great that it can affect all known sectors, especially in Brazil where this movement is still in its infancy. What all sectors that combine the need to implement the elements of Industry 4.0 in their production processes have in common is the need to increase productivity without reducing the quality of production.”
According to IBM IT Architect Antonio F. Gaspar Santos: “In the Brazilian scenario, I4.0 standards are still in their initial phase due to a legacy of maturity in the adoption of inherent technologies and principles. The expectation is that I4.0 will have an impact of unprecedented dimensions in the history of industrial revolutions”. Furthermore, according to Gaspar Santos, there are six principles that have been associated with the I4.0 theme, which are:
- Interoperability, in which objects, machines and people need to be able to connect and interact;
- Virtualization, which allows the creation and simulation of real situations and models to test production environment configurations;
- Real-time operation: a smart factory needs to be able to collect, store and analyze data in real time for decision making;
- Decentralization, allowing decisions to be made independently by autonomous production modules, called Cyber Physical Systems (CPS);
- Service orientation. This principle is associated with the Internet of Services. Production must be “customer-oriented,” so people and smart devices that make up manufacturing must connect to create products based on customer specifications;
- Modularity. In a dynamic market, adaptability is essential. This principle allows a variable production process according to the demands and respective coupling/decoupling facilities of the production modules.”
Endeavor entrepreneur José Rizzo explains that: “The national industry is still largely in the transition from what would be Industry 2.0, characterized by the use of assembly lines and electrical energy, to Industry 3.0, which applies automation through electronics, robotics and programming. The good news is that we will not need to go through the entire process that occurred in developed countries. We can and should skip the steps.
As you can see, dear readers, there is a global mobilization of people and companies committed to improving Industry 4.0. Those who have the right information, acquired knowledge and the best adaptation profile for this new transformation of the global market are taking the lead. The scenario is promising, but professionals and organizations must be prepared to follow this trend and, thus, guarantee their place in the sun. This sector will dictate the new rules of business in the coming years. We therefore need to be at the forefront of this technological revolution to be included in this new model of industrial development.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution
https://ibm.biz/BdjxDE
https://endeavor.org.br/oportunidades-industria-4_0
Taylor, George Rogers . The Transportation Revolution , 1815–1860. [sl: sn] ISBN 978-0873321013
HOBSBAWM, Eric J. From the English Industrial Revolution to Imperialism (5th ed.). Rio de Janeiro: Forense Universitária, 2003. ISBN 85-218-0272-2
Porter, Michel E. Competitive Strategy – Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors; 2nd edition, 2008.