Ever watched the show
“Megafactories” on discovery channel and wondered at the marvel that is today’s
manufacturing industry? Hundreds of workers operating machines that can melt
steel or produce electricity or refine crude oil. Entire cities based around
factories that build everything from mobile phones to commercial aircrafts. The
origins of these modern mechanised factories can be traced back to the
invention of the Watt Steam engine by James Watt in 1765. The Watt Steam engine
paved the way for the Industrial revolution and mankind has never looked back
since.
From the first steam operated
machines, we have come a long way in terms of automation. Robotics has taken
the place of the shop floor worker, especially in the electronics manufacturing
industry. With the convergence of internet and manufacturing, we now stand at
the cusp of another industrial revolution, which is being called “Industry
4.0”.
What
is Industry 4.0?
Industry
4.0 is a collective term embracing a number of contemporary automation, data
exchange and manufacturing technologies. It facilitates the vision and
execution of a "Smart Factory". Within the Smart Factories of
Industry 4.0, cyber-physical systems monitor physical manufacturing processes,
create a virtual copy of the physical factories and make decentralized decisions
while communicating over the internet. Remember Jarvis from the Iron Man movies
controlling all of Tony Stark’s gadgets for him? That is what “Industry 4.0”
aims at.
"Industry 4.0 is a meeting of
real and virtual worlds in manufacturing and involves the full integration of
manufacuring technologies
and communication systems to make a 'smart factotry'."
As
an example, let us consider the production of Bosch Diesel Injector. In
Industry 4.0 components such as diesel injectors will only be manufactured in
real time and in response to concrete orders, instead of forecasts of demand as
is currently the case. The component order itself will bear all information on
technical requirements, customers, and destination, allowing it to control the
production process autonomously.
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| Bosch Diesel Injector |
As
an example, let us consider the production of Bosch Diesel Injector. In
Industry 4.0 components such as diesel injectors will only be manufactured in
real time and in response to concrete orders, instead of forecasts of demand as
is currently the case. The component order itself will bear all information on
technical requirements, customers, and destination, allowing it to control the
production process autonomously.
This
means that the individual component will know exactly which production steps
are to be carried out, which parts may still be missing, and which destination
it has to select in order to ultimately meet all customer-specific
requirements. Customers will be able to obtain information on the real-time
status of the order at all times over the internet.
At the end of the production
process, an associate will inspect the viability of the product. If the product
has been successfully completed, the customer will be promptly notified and the
order will make its way – again largely self-controlled – to its destination. The buzzword here is automation over the
internet with minimal human involvement as possible, limited only to inspection
of the final piece in this example.
Where
does the term come from?
The term "Industry
4.0" originates from a project of the German government at Hannover fair
(2011), which promotes the computerization of manufacturing. It was the brainchild
of the German government, and
describes the next phase in manufacturing, a so-called fourth industrial
revolution.
Since
the invention of the steam engine, the manufacturing industry has been divided
into phases or timelines based on major breakthroughs as follows:
1st industrial revolution - the
mechanization of production using water and steam power.
2nd industrial revolution - mass
production with the help of electric power. E.g. Henry Ford’s assembly line.
3rd industrial revolution - the
digital revolution and the use of electronics and IT to further automate
production.
4th industrial revolution - the use
of cyber physical systems to take real time decentralised decisions.
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What is Cyber Physical System (CPS):
Unlike
more traditional embedded systems, a full-fledged CPS is typically designed as
a network of interacting elements with physical input and output instead of as
standalone devices. The notion is closely tied to concepts of robotics and
sensor networks controlled by intelligence mechanisms based on computational intelligence.
“We are witnessing the dissolution of the classical production
hierarchy, with a shift away from centralized control toward decentralized self-organization.”
-
Dr. Siegfried Dais, Shareholder of Robert
Bosch Industrietreuhand KG
Swiss giant ABB used
the Cyber Physical System in an Australian cement kiln. A computer-based system
mimics the actions of an “ideal” operator, using real-time metrics to adjust
kiln feed, fuel flow, and fan-damper position. The company found that the new
tools boosted throughput by up to 5 percent.
Industry 4.0 and India:
A new IHS Technology report (IHS
is the leading provider of diverse global market and economic information) forecasts
that industrial automation will make up the majority of the internet traffic by
2025, and Internet Protocol (IP)-addressable devices are the key enabling force
that will get industry there.
"India's IoT [Internet of Things] industry is expected be
worth US$ 15 billion by 2020, which means our share will be a less than 10% of
the global opportunity.... India will need to invest in skill and technology
development as well as R&D facilities to develop the local market."
Industrial
automation accounts for slightly more than half of the installed base for all
Internet-connected devices in 2012. According to the IHS report, “Industrial
Internet of Things – 2014 Edition” by 2025, the industrial automation sector
will account for nearly three-fourths of all connected devices.
Equally impressive is the pace
at which that installed base is expected to grow. The report estimates that the
number of Internet-connected devices in the industrial automation sector will
increase more than fiftyfold from 2012 to 2025 – at a compound annual growth
rate of 36.3 percent.
"Contribution
of Indian manufacturing sector:
- 16% of GDP each year and approx. 2% of
overall global manufacturing output.
- Employing around 58 – 60 million people
- 250 million people set to enter the workforce
in the next 15 years!"
Here are a few steps that India needs to take to ensure a
manufacturing success story in Industry 4.0
- Grow its fledgling Internet of Things (IoT)
industry: The Indian IoT industry although nascent, is an important
part of the Digital India imperative to transform India into a digital,
knowledge-driven economy.
- Develop
a robust data security environment: While the Internet of Things forms the backbone of Industry 4.0,
without a robust security infrastructure there can be no practical application
of the Smart Factory. Steps towards building a more conducive environment have
to be two-fold, with more stringent government regulations for data protection
and security, backed by a developed Security Services industry with the ability
to manage advanced targeted cyber-security threats and attacks.
- Skill
development: Implementation
of educational structures and didactic approaches from corporations will form
an important aspect in preparing India for leadership in Industry 4.0.
India participated at Hannover
Messe 2015 as partner country, where Industry 4.0 will form an integral
part of the technology focus. This trade fair for industrial technology is the
beginning of a continued dialogue between India, Germany and other global
partners to proceed on Make in India and in merging this initiative with
Industry 4.0. If we succeed, we will be able to increase India's manufacturing
GDP contribution to the targeted 25% and become the "smart factory of the
world”.
