Within last years Parliamentary Review, it highlighted a report jointly published by the UK consultancy BDO and the Institute of Mechanical Engineers(IMechE); that clearly showed the UK manufacturing sector was not prioritising Industry 4.0 concepts and technologies(IIoT).
It stated that only 8% of the participants had a significant understanding of the concepts, methods and associated technology; while 59% understood that it will most likely impact greatly on the overall manufacturing process.
Most concerning of all, 44% had no plans to invest in Industry 4.0 concepts within the next two years.
I do hope that manufacturing organisations in the UK reconsider; I’m not suggesting everybody dives headlong into large scale spending sprees. But, I would encourage everybody to gain a solid understanding of the concepts and the opportunities that IIoT can deliver. As a minimum, create a plan to drive awareness and understanding, that even if you want to hold/wait before engaging, allows you to keep up-to-date with what’s happening in the IIoT world and whats round the corner.
If you are looking for a primer around some of the technologies involved, I can heartedly recommend: Alasdair Gilchrist, Industry 4.0, The Industrial Internet of Things
Not sure where to start or how much effort you should invest. Feel free to get in touch, more than happy to share some experiences and best practice from deploying, what can be, challenging and business transforming solutions.
