Industry 4.0 has been a decade in the making but even now the technology is progressing at a rapid pace. This Industrial Ethernet Book special report on Industry 4.0 looks at the impact of cyber physical systems, data democratization and new solutions for connecting with smart manufacturing operations.

Inside the innovations leading the Industry 4.0 manufacturing transformation, there is an emergence at the sensor-driven level. For manufacturers, taking that next step into the future depends on further investment in the technology underpinning advances in factory automation and flexibility.

The question is not whether, but how IEEE 802.11ax (also known as Wi-Fi 6) and 5G are driving wireless mobile communications in the industrial environment. Siemens supports both technologies in order to offer optimal solutions for the most diverse requirements.

In the words of the Greek philosopher, Aristotle: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Although this conclusion was made long before Industry 4.0 and the Smart Factory even came to be, it hits the nail on the head when it comes to machine manufacturing.

At the highest level of “hard customisation” driven by the goals of Industry 4.0, customer-specific interfaces are developed to meet individual customer requirements, with the aim of meeting even the most “unusual” customer wishes in mechanical and plant engineering.

The Industrial Ethernet Book reached out to CLPA for a general update on CC-Link technology, technical priorities and areas of concentration for new applications. This special report provides insight into the direction of CC Link, application successes and its focus on time-sensitive networking solutions.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) generates a tremendous amount of data that also needs to be stored. Consequently, more and more data centers are needed to fulfill this growing demand for data storage management, increasing energy consumption in the process.

Plants with an aging DCS will require an upgrade to a modern automation system at some point. Selecting the right upgrade strategies and the right project management team are critical to success. A third-party service provider can often assist in project management and the development of the upgrade strategies.

This article shares a high-level view into PRP, PTP, and how one safeguards the other. The complex nature of today’s industrial networks relies on a deep understanding of protocols’ specifications and network design best practices.

Learn how ERP turns overweight, inefficient manufacturing into a lean, fit and supercharged manufacturing machine. Manufacturing is a complex process, no matter what products you make or what processes you use. ERP simplifies manufacturing by providing real-time data visibility at every step of the production process.