Industry 4.0

To understand the reasons that lead to Industry 4.0, it is fundamental to understand previous revolutions. The 1st industrial revolution (1760 – 1850) began in Great Britain, and many of the technological innovations were of British origin. The Second Industrial Revolution (1870 – 1914) was a period of rapid industrial development, primarily in Britain, Germany and the United States, but also in France, Italy and Japan. The 3rd industrial revolution began in the 1960s. It is usually called the computer or digital revolution because it was catalyzed by the development of semiconductors, mainframe computing (1960s), personal computing (1970s and ’80s) and the internet (1990s).

What about the 4th industrial revolution?

In this module, a summary of every industrial revolution will be provided, taking into account 4 different aspects:

• The historical context;
• Science & Technology;
• Production Approach;
• Socio-economic impact.

Unlike previous Industrial Revolutions, the 4th Industrial Revolution is not characterized by one or two inventions or technologies, but rather by a set of already known digital technologies that are rising in every area of our society.

This module aims to describe in detail some of the key technologies for a digital trasformation. Since the broad and extensive nature of the topic, it has been chosen to split the description of these technologies in 3 parts.

More specifically, part 1 focuses on the following technologies:

• Advanced Manufacturing, which includes Autonomous Robots (AGVs and cobots), Human Machine Interface (HMI) and Artificial Intelligence
• Augmented Reality
• Virtual Reality

The practitioner will learn in detail the essence of each technology and how to apply them in a real Industrial environment. Indeed, for each technology, several examples are reported.

This module aims to describe in detail 3 of the key technologies of Industry 4.0. Since the broad and extensive nature of the topic, it has been chosen to split the description of these technologies in 3 parts.

More specifically, part 2 focuses on the following technologies:

• Additive Manufacturing: after a quick overview of its history, all the additive technologies will be presented;
• Simulation: the discussion will focus mainly on process applications, like Discrete Event Simulation;
• Horizontal & Vertical IT systems integration: the section will focus on the benefits as well as the IT system portfolio commonly adopted by mid/large organizations.

The practitioner will learn in detail the essence of each technology and how to apply them in a real Industrial environment. Indeed, for each technology, several examples are reported.

Part 3 focuses on the following technologies:

• Internet of Things, described as the the network of devices that contain electronics, software, actuators, and connectivity which allows these things to connect, interact and exchange data;
• Cloud Computing is where software applications, data storage, processing power and even artificial intelligence are accessed over the Internet from any kind of computing device;
• Cyber-security, the protection of digital devices and their communication channels to keep them stable, dependable and reasonably safe from danger or threat;
• Big Data Analytics, which refers to method of predictive analyses that are used to extract value from a massive amount of data.

The practitioner will learn in detail the essence of each technologies and how to apply them in a real Industrial environment. Indeed, for each technology, several examples are reported.

Digital trasformation leads to the development of a Smart Factory, an optimized and high-flexible manufacturing facility. The goal is to facilitate launching new products depending on market dynamics, is scalable enough to meet demand variation for existing products, is able to produce Finished Goods at least cost, has smart machines, sensors and robots which are seamlessly integrated with information system architecture to enable high level of automation in transaction processing and has real time analytics that helps in minimizing downtime and improving efficiency.

Despite the wide range of technologies exploited in a Smart Factory, its backbone is made of human skills.

It is not wrong to say that a Smart Factory is made by and for workers.

This module aims to present the practitioner the benefits and risks associated to the Smart Factory.

This module aims to present the practitioner a practical approach to implement a Smart Factory. The module is divided into 3 main parts:

• The first part focuses on the implementation of the physical world, including infrastructures, reconfigurable production systems and factory layout;
• The second part focuses on the implementation of the virtual world, including IT infrastructures and main tools like multi-physics simulation;
• The third part focuses on the implementation of a Digital Twin, which is a digital copy of the real factory based on cyber-physical system.

The disruptive wave of the 4th Industrial Revolution will impact in our lives in proportions that are almost impossible to envisage. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize the potential impact that this Revolution will bring in order to face up to future global changes and challenges.

We are living in a fast-paced environment, where digital technologies are changing our approach not only to work, but also to life. Therefore, understanding implications and methods to face up new challenges is not an option anymore.

This module aims to provide the practitioner a broad understanding of impacts of the 4th industrial revolution on our lives. Indeed, Industry 4.0 will impact in every aspect of our everyday life:

• Economic growth and productivity: will the impact be positive or negative?
• Business: how our ways of making business?
• Industry: how new technologies will modify factories?
• Infrastructure: how our cities will be impacted?
• Global security: will we be less or more safe?
• Society: is it going to progress or not?

In previous modules, we presented the main reasons and key technologies that lead to a so called 4th industrial revolution. We also discussed and how we will benefit from their utilization. Moreover, the practitioner had also the opportunity to learn what a Smart Factory is and what main impacts on people are.

In this module, the practitioner learns what the main requirements are and what skills an organization needs to be developed to face up the transformation with the right tools.

Companies need to establish 6 digital pillars to support and benefit from the opportunities that come with Industry 4.0 technologies. In this course, the 6 pillars will be described in detail:

• Develop a high-performance culture;
• Build relevant Digital Capabilities;
• Facilitate collaboration;
• Manage data as valuable asset;
• Enable agile IT infrastructure and architecture;
• Ensure cyber-security.