Are Smart Machines the Future of Manufacturing - Strategic Systems International

The fourth industrial revolution – the term coined by Klaus Schwab (Founder and Executive Chairman of World Economic Forum) has been around for a long time now. Radical changes in how products are developed, manufactured, sold and shipped; human workforce being replaced by machines that are augmented with web connectivity and the pervasive inclusion of automation, artificial intelligence, IoT and the like in everyday life can all be attributed to the emergence of Industry 4.0. Even though majority of manufacturers find challenging to utilize these technologies without facing scalability issues, a significant number of them are already reaping the benefits. Many are now relying on the promise of 5G and Internet of Things for high bandwidth, low latency and seamless communication for effective utilization of resources. The solutions this kind of connectivity offers are vast – sensors, cloud robotics, centralized tracking of goods, remote quality inspection, automated factory floors etc. Even better, it can enable the evolution of a global ecosystem of smart manufacturing centers.