How to succeed in the fourth industrial revolution in 2017 Lean Manufacturing

Headlines today are littered with references to'the fourth industrial revolution', 'artificial intelligence', 'machine learning' and'big data'. While this hype isn't unfounded, the practical ways of achieving value often remain unclear to the industry. The bottom line is a primary concern for many manufacturers. Not without reason; many associate the fourth industrial revolution with further expenditure - instalment of new sensors to collect data, investment in data storage or perhaps in 3D printing equipment – rather than cost savings. Fortunately, the reality doesn't always need not be this expensive.