HANNOVER
MESSE 2017 Adding value with
Industry 4.0 ,
Robots that are as simple to operate as smartphones. Machines that learn from their mistakes. Energy systems that are digitally integrated and controlled. And all of it totally human-centered. That’s Industry 4.0. HANNOVER MESSE 2017 highlights the added value that is unleashed when factories and energy systems go digital.
Predictive maintenance through machine learning
Digitalized production processes generate vast quantities of data which are then analyzed by various upstream and downstream systems. In the not-too-distant future, manufacturing systems will incorporate machine-learning technologies that analyze this data centrally and feed the results back to the production machines in question, thereby enabling them to learn and self-optimize. As such, machine learning is fundamental to predictive maintenance – a highly promising aspect of Industry 4.0 that will feature
prominently at the upcoming HANNOVER MESSE.
Putting people first
However, despite the ongoing and rapid spread of digitalization, people will always be absolutely critical to success in industry. Industry 4.0 technologies will help make factory workers’ duties more interesting and varied. Instead of focusing on repetitive manual tasks, factory employees will increasingly be called upon to solve problems, make decisions, innovate and drive value-adding initiatives. But this will not happen in a
vacuum. Manufacturers need to invest in upskilling and education measures to prepare their workforces for Workplace 4.0. “In tomorrow’s agile, flexible factories, employees will be experts in the use of virtual reality, augmented reality, smart glasses and tablets. All of these exiting new digital factory tools will feature prominently at HANNOVER MESSE 2017,” Köckler explained.
#21
www.easyengineering.eu | February 2016