Industry 4.0 definitions – what is Industry 4.0?

Initial goals in Industry 4.0 are usually automation, (manufacturing) process improvement and productivity/production optimization; more mature goals are innovation and the transition to new business models and revenue streams with information and services as the cornerstone. Let's look at some Industrial 4.0 definitions.

Basic Definition of Industry 4.0

The definition of Industry 4.0, proposed in 2011, was quite lengthy. In an article titled "Industry 4.0 - Smart Manufacturing for the Future", GTAI (Germany Trade and Investment) explored the question of what is a smart industry (a synonym for Industry 4.0) and what does Industry 4.0 mean.

An excerpt: The smart industry or "Industry 4.0" describes technological developments from embedded systems to cyber-physical systems... Industry 4.0 represents the fourth industrial revolution coming in the way of the Internet of Things, Data and Services. Decentralized intelligence helps create intelligent object networking and independent process management, with the interaction of the real and virtual worlds representing a decisive new aspect of the manufacturing and production process."

This Industry 4.0 definition is close to the original definition, but not quite or at least not correct now, because Industry 4.0 is beyond the factory, it is also more than automation and data exchange (eg the important role of workers, key role of energy efficiency, etc.).

If you take the above German platform Industry 4.0 as the official reference to Industry 4.0, an official definition of the platform is: "Industry 4.0 describes the intelligent networking of machines and processes for industry with the help of information and communication technology".