Industry 4.0 and the fourth industrial revolution explained
Source: I Scoop
This lengthy overview of the benefits and challenges of Industry 4.0 suggests that the vision represents a new stage in the organization and control of commerce and industry.
The authors argue that to understand history, current state and future of Industry 4.0, it is essential to see the full value chain which includes suppliers and the origins of the materials and components needed for various forms of smart manufacturing, the end-to-end digital supply chain and the final destination of all manufacturing/production.
The article explores two key integrations in the Industry 4.0 model: vertical integration of all the systems in the traditional automation pyramid, and the horizontal integration of information flows of product development, production, logistics, and distribution in an end-to-end value chain.