After the Industrial Revolution passed through mechanisation and electrification to arrive at computerisation, the onset of the Internet of Things and Services into business marks a fourth industrial revolution.
Integration of Industry 4.0
A cross-linking of the economic worlds of people, machines, objects, and software systems is made possible for the first time, such as never before – with real significance to industry. This development affects not only production and storage processes, but equally impacts digital workflows and business processes across the entire company. Such rapidly increasing interconnectedness replaces manual processes and requires strong, reliable and secure integration. The integration of the value chain is a key driver of Industry 4.0. A distinction is made between horizontal and vertical integration – see the info box on the right.
These new realities open up many new opportunities and enormous potentials for companies.