The Industry 4.0 technologies that can help manufacturers remain resilient to global uncertainty

29 June, 2023

The manufacturing industry has pioneered global shifts in commerce and trade since the first industrial revolution brought affordable, mass-produced consumer products to the market. The advent of automation, a commonplace feature in factories and production plants for generations, increased efficiency, delivered better value to customers, and placed safety at the forefront of the workplace.

But today, assailed on all sides by the global disruption of a prevailing pandemic, regionalised geopolitical complexity including the Ukraine conflict, supply chain disruptions and everchanging customer demands, manufacturers face a considerable number of new challenges. Overcoming them isn’t about a complete revolution - as was the solution to mounting globalisation in the 19th century, but it will call for a similar leap of faith in new processes and technologies.

In an era of business uncertainty, industry 4.0 has a leading part to play in the next seismic technology shift that addresses today’s global challenges. For manufacturers, there’s no doubt about technology’s role in delivering continuity and resilience against what may come, but also in helping them to thrive.

If manufacturers want to emerge ahead of their competitors from today’s challenges, here’s the top three industry 4.0 technologies they should be paying attention to.

The influence of the cloud on modern manufacturing

First and foremost, manufacturers must pay attention to the evolution of cloud computing and understand how it can continue to make an impact in the future. While most manufacturers have embraced the cloud in some capacity, research suggests that some remain concerned about legacy integration and the performance of applications in the cloud. This indicates that there may still be some hesitancy to go ‘all-in’ and this could be a concern as the industry looks to thrive, not just survive, in the current business landscape.

Cloud computing is not just the enabler of industry 4.0 but also wider digital transformation. It is the foundation in which most advanced technologies, such as the IoT and realtime data analytics, operate, and can be scaled up or down to manage shifting project workloads, react to demand and improve visibility across the business.

In the context of the supply chain crisis, this can have a real positive impact. For instance, the shortage of cars has been a permanent fixture on the news agenda over the last two years, with long waiting times in production. For many original equipment manufacturers, the cloud has been a game-changing solution in maintaining levels of customer experience. It has facilitated greater end-to-end visibility of the supply chain, meaning faster and more accurate customer communications, as well as the capacity to forecast demand, plan in advance and improve the efficiency of the production line.