At 4 am, the warehouse in New York is about to start its working day. The plan is impressive: the company is going to load and ship thousands of tons today, which means they will have to work without rest and breaks.
Blockchain & Industry 4.0
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A traditional warehouse would exhaust its workers with unbearable workload or experience substantial financial losses. However, in the age of Industry 4.0, everything gets easier with state-of-the-art technologies.
In the 20th century, fully automated manufacturing could appear only in science fiction movies. The fourth industrial revolution turned the most ambitious ideas of entrepreneurs into reality. Currently, most factories do not require human involvement, which means they can produce more and work 24/7. Technologies are revolutionizing every stage of production, making a tremendous impact on the whole industrial sector.
Not so long ago, CB Insights came up with significant research about the Future Factory and Industry 4.0. Let us share our thoughts, based both on such research and our experience, about how exactly Industry 4.0 may affect your business. Let's check the leading trends on the market and highlight top solutions to boost your business right now.
What is Industry 4.0
Industry 4.0 stands for the fourth industrial revolution in manufacturing that was initiated by the growing impact of machine learning and artificial intelligence on all the production stages.
The fourth revolution is promising to end the change that was triggered by its predecessors, active adoption of computers and automation, and bring it to a brand new level. A humanless factory is a new trend in the industrial sector that is expected to transform the way business is carried out. Although the integration of AI and machine learning requires massive investment at the very beginning of a project, this upgrade will be pay off in the nearest future.
At the same time, negative implications are also inevitable. The increased unemployment rate will create a need for staff retraining. Socially responsible manufacturers will have to come up with a plan on how to address such challenges and prevent reputational damages before a problem appears.
The role of Blockchain and Value Chain in Manufacturing
Being formulated in simple words, the value chain can be best described as a set of steps and measures need to be taken to provide your customers with a ready-made product or service. If you skip one component, it may end up in significant tangible and intangible losses for your company. For instance, when investors do not want to allocate money for quality assurance or recruiting, the company might lose its competitive edge.
Innovations occupy an essential part of the value chain. With the help of cutting-edge technologies, plants and factories streamline their business processes for better efficiency. In particular, blockchain has found its application in data management. British Airways, the major airline in the United Kingdom, has recently implemented blockchain technology to prevent data conflicts and security breaches. Distributed manufacturing is also applied in parts production. 3D Hub is going to add a new feature on its website that would allow a company to start producing parts within 5 minutes after an order was placed.
The New Era of Quality Assurance
Quality assurance represents a significant component in the value chain. The failure to spot defects and inefficiencies before the product is delivered to a user might result in significant financial and reputational losses. However, checking whether a product meets all technical specifications is usually quite a tedious job when it is performed by humans. In the era of Industry 4.0, this task is delegated to machines!
Computer vision marked the new era in quality assurance. Robots can spot even the smallest inefficiencies that the human eye can't catch. When it comes to testing, companies apply the fundamental principles of machine learning to identify defects at the stage of production. Robots can educate and improve themselves to prevent similar imperfections in the future and enhance the quality of the final product.
Transport & Supply Management
Blockchain changed the way logistics and transportation are carried out. With an aim to improve customer security, Walmart partnered with IBM to create a blockchain-based logistics system. This innovation reduced the time spent to deliver goods to stores.
All shipments can be easily tracked and monitored with the help of a secure and user-friendly system. These steps decreased the number of recalls and positively affected the company's financial statement.
Wrapping up
The age of machine learning and artificial intelligence is already here. In order not to lose your position in the industry, you have to keep updated on the latest trends and focus on bringing innovations to the industrial sector.
This step is promising to benefit manufacturers as well as customers. Companies will get a chance to streamline their operations and grow profits, while buyers will be protected from defects and low-quality products.