Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM
Industry 4.0
The factories of the future need to be smart, adaptable, efficient, and sustainable. The idea of an Industry 4.0 was born to tackle this technological challenge with its focus on promoting the digitalization and automation of industrial manufacturing.
Accelerating and automating routine jobs. Simplifying and optimizing decision making processes. Using our valuable resources more mindfully: Industry 4.0 thinks big and covers e.g. smart connections between autonomous, knowledge-driven production technology (robots, internal logistics and storage systems, operating materials etc.) and business processes. It empowers manufacturers to offer unprecedented levels of customization with their smarter and extremely flexibilized production facilities. Customers and business partners are integrated far more immediately than ever before into business processes and the value chain. Intelligent monitoring and decision making processes help manage and optimize individual enterprises and entire value creation networks in real time. As sensors are becoming ubiquitous in virtually any component of the manufacturing ecosystem, data and information is beginning to flow between them. This real-time communication of vast amounts of data can make existing processes far more efficient than ever before.
Intelligent connections between e.g. goods and their means of transport can optimize costs and save resources in commercial logistics. Factories gain early warning systems that can detect and potentially prevent machine failures. Potential applications also include energy management or smart grid / smart building ecosystems.
Fraunhofer IZM works with its partners in industry to actively shape the coming fourth industrial revolution. Its researchers are developing the technological solutions that enable electronic components and systems to create this vision of smarter, more flexible, energy-efficient, and truly connected manufacturing.