In April, more than 180,000 visitors from 100 countries descended on Hannover, Germany, to experience the latest of what's possible in industrial technology. Under the theme of "Integrated Industry: Next Steps," many of Europe's major factory automation suppliers fielded booth demonstrations designed to illustrate their visions of next-generation advanced manufacturing capabilities.
"Industrie 4.0" is an initiative of the German government intended to foster the country's manufacturing competitiveness by leveraging the potential of cyber-physical systems and ubiquitous network connectivity to create more efficient and productive factories, work processes and supply chains.
"Industrie 4.0 will be with us sooner than many people would have thought possible just one short year ago," said Jochen Köckler, member of the managing board for Deutsche Messe, Hannover Fair's organizer. "Exhibitors have demonstrated a clear commitment to negotiating the next steps on the road to the fourth industrial revolution rapidly and purposefully."
Throughout the automation halls, the integration of design and manufacturing platforms was apparent as RFID-badged products moved through modular production lines carrying instructions for their own manufacture along for the ride. Tablet computers and smartphones interfaced directly with automation controllers, or reached up through secure cloud connections to ease engineering and integration tasks, and enable new information transparency.
Secure Communications a Given
Underpinning any effort toward building a more connected industrial supply chain is the need for cybersecurity. Siemens was among the companies announcing new efforts in this arena at Hannover.
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