SVB study: Industry 4.0 advances, but manufacturing jobs at risk

Silicon Valley Bank, which has helped fund more than 30,000 startups, yesterday released a report on "The Future of Robotics: An Inside View on Innovation in Robotics." It described trends in production, business models, and the adoption of robotics reflecting the increasing maturity of Industry 4.0. The report also addressed concerns about automation displacing jobs and public-policy reactions. Overall, the free Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) report (download PDF) was cautiously optimistic about the prospects for industrial automation. It cited rising U.S. productivity, maturing technologies and suppliers supporting a variety of applications, and a steady climb for robotics deployments, particularly in Asia.