Throughout history (particularly the past hundred years) there have been trends that revolutionized industry and manufacturing around the world… changes that advanced the evolution of civilization and life as we know it. The first revolutionary phase was combining mechanization with steam and waterpower. The second was the combination of mass production with electricity. The third was the rise of electronics, IT systems, and automation. We are now at the start of the FOURTH phase of the industrial revolution.
PwC’s Insights suggests that Industry 4.0 “refers to the fourth industrial revolution, which connects machines, people and physical assets into an integrated digital ecosystem that seamlessly generates, analyzes and communicates data, and sometimes takes action on that data without the need for human intervention.” (That last part can be quite stirring.)
This next phase advances on concepts introduced through digitization and connected frameworks, tying in the industrial Internet of Things (IoT ) and smart manufacturing. This meshed model relies on the interconnectivity of systems, lots of automation at high levels, machine learning, and AI… all collecting and generating data in real-time.
Where physical operations and production join with smart digital technologies, big data, and machine learning, businesses can forge systems that focus directly on manufacturing and supply chain management, gaining new insights and getting actionable data.
Virtualizing physical resources and digitizing analog data are now coupled with improved access to and management of the platforms. Rather than building out on-premises physical servers and systems, businesses are finding that the agility, scalability, and fault-tolerance of the cloud are necessary when designing an operation that connects, communicates, and collects data, performs intelligent analyses, and potentially acts without people getting directly involved.
Every company is different, but all face a common challenge — the need for connection and access to real-time insights across processes, products, and people.
Mendelson Consulting and NOOBEH cloud services know how to get businesses in the best position to implement the tools and services that will propel the operation forward. From the most popular and powerful small business financial software to cloud platforms that enable connectivity in applications and workflows, we understand what it takes to help small and midsized businesses transform.
