Commentary: The enabling technologies for the factories of the future - FreightWaves

In this installment of the AI in Supply Chain series (#AIinSupplyChain), we explore the topic of industrial supply chains and factories of the future since this is where the AI applications we are covering will primarily be used. According to the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, "Industrie 4.0 refers to the intelligent networking of machines and processes for industry with the help of information and communication technology." Industrie 4.0 is a term that is closely related to the terms Factory of the Future and Fourth Industrial Revolution. Industrie 4.0 envisions a future in which: Factories produce goods in fluctuating quantities based on real-time demand rather than preset production quotas. Production lines are modularized and can be reconfigured easily to enable the production of different types of products in small lots.