The 4th industrial revolution is here, also known as Industry 4.0.
The term ‘Industry 4.0’ seems to be all over social media and automation blog sites these days, the term originates back in 2011 when used by the German federal government to descrie part of its high-tech strategy. In a nutshell the term refers to a link between the physical and virtual world using the internet and computing technology to enable devices (things) to communicate with other devices in ways never seen before, giving rise to the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT).
The IoT will allow areas of the manufacturing and supply chain industry to gather data in ways that have previously not been possible, allowing companies to react quicker to demands and operate in a much more efficient manner by processing data gathered from the physical world.
To enable an object to become part of the Internet of Things, there are 3 main technology requirements:
● Sensing capabilities, to track and monitor the activity that is being performed
● Connection to the internet, to allow the object to send and receive information
● Computing power, to allow the object to process commands and sensor signals, and make decisions on the information that it receives
By the year 2020 it is predicted that over 50 billion IoT capable devices will be connected to the World Wide Web . Posing the question, how will your business keep its competitive edge as we enter into this new industrial age?
Conwy Controls can help your business automate your current processes. Our expertise specialise in the automation of processes for industrial applications, ranging from Pick by Light TCR systems for assembly lines, to Automated Guided Vehicles , robotic pick and place systems. All enabling the collection of data from a traditionally manual process.