Industry (or Manufacturing) 4.0 started as a German government initiative in 2011. It refers to a Fourth Industrial Revolution characterized by smart factories using robotics, autonomous operations, the Internet of Things, big data, analytics, artificial intelligence, and a convergence of IT and OT. The goal is to create efficient, agile and intelligent manufacturing. There wasn't a prescriptive Industry 4.0 methodology for manufacturers to follow, so early adopters tried various approaches to see which worked best. "We focus on the capabilities that [Manufacturing 4.0] technology can deliver for our clients," said Stephen Laaper, principal and smart factory leader at Deloitte.

Recently, IndustryWeek hosted a PTC-sponsored webinar called Pragmatic Paths to Accelerate Manufacturing Performance with Industrie 4.0. The presenters, Kent Eriksson, a Senior Advisor in PTC's IoT Transformation Advisory Practice, and Stephen Laaper, a Digital Supply Networks leader in Deloitte Consulting's Strategy & Operations practice, had too much information about the best, most practical ways to adopt the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) didn't have time to answer every listeners' questions. It's such a vital component to the future of manufacturing success, one that there is much to learn about, that we all felt these questions could not linger. So here they are, and even if you couldn't attend, there is much to glean from these experts' responses. Q: Where should we draw distinctions between Industrie 4.0 and IoT, and Big Data and its connectors?