Understanding the Term and Beyond – Industry 4.0
                     Understanding the Term and Beyond – Industry 4.0
Jenny Knight
Writes for 
Small and Medium Business Corner & 
SMB Corner
Technology has a crucial role in every sector of the modern business world and 
every aspect of human life. There is no question that the increase in 
connectivity has helped lead to a revolution across several industrial sectors, 
including manufacturing, distribution, and development. However, it can get 
tricky to explain Industry 4.0 for a layman.
Let’s look into this and understand the term in a simplified manner.
Embedded engineering
What is Industry 4.0?
Industry – 4.0 is the term that explains the amalgamation of traditional 
manufacturing with industrial sectors and the latest practices with the smart 
use of modern technology. The primary focus of industry 4.0 is to collaborate 
M2M (machine to machine) to IoT (Internet of things).
When you mix both the powerful elements, you can see a massive change in 
the automation of manufacturing sectors. There is improvement in various 
levels that include communication and channeling distribution. Hence, it gives 
a boost in the monitoring of business processes. Integrating smart-end 
mechanisms that operate without human intervention or ensure minimum 
involvement will increase productivity levels to a great extent by reducing the 
overheads of any manufacturing business.
The manufacturing plants and factories are witnessing partial to complete 
automation of the processes. It enables you to focus on other critical aspects 
of the business as IoT also handles the analysis of business processes and 
troubleshooting within no time.
Why industry 4.0 and not 2.0 or 3.0?
The industrial revolution in the 4th is the result of the revolutionary 
advancements that happened in the last ten years. The simple reason is that 
the foremost revolution in industrial sectors started when farming advanced to 
factory production in the early 19h century. The second revolution covers the 
period of the steel industry in the mid-1850s. It was that period when the 
electrification of manufacturing sectors brought a colossal change in mass 
production.
The third revolution mentions the technological advancement of mechanical 
machines to electronic devices. By end of the 1950s, the digitalization of 
machinery brought a significant change in businesses.
Coming to the 4th and present revolution – a mix of Artificial intelligence and 
Cyber-Physical systems. Recent technological advancement includes big data, 
analytics, and smart machines. It resulted in improved analysis, monitoring, 
production, and self-diagnosis. Hence, it helps customers and manufacturers 
alike, indicating a productive future ahead.
The wrap
The industrial revolution has come a long way now– you can explore more 
about this in all the business sectors and not just in IT or manufacturing. The 
use of simulations, robotics, Cloud computing, and data sharing are a few to 
mention; in this regard. The market for augmented reality is growing at an 
exponential rate. More and more businesses are imbibing modern 
technologies to keep up with the changes. The world of technology is ever-
evolving and highly impacts all aspects of human lives. Hence, the innovation 
proves beneficial in assisting production and boosting the manufacturing 
sectors. Overall, the latest phase of the industrial revolution is all about real-
time data, automation, interconnectivity, and machine learning.
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        Thank you for spending your precious time in reading this article!