New dimension of data materialization

The ability to manufacture three-dimensional functional structures "at the touch of a button" anywhere in the world is fundamentally challenging conventional manufacturing processes and production structures. This is a key message of the new white paper "Internet of Things/Industry 4.0" published by the Diplomatic Council, a think tank advising the UN. The think tank speaks of a "literally new dimension in the materialization of data." Combined with recent developments in computer aided design, the ubiquity of application functionality through mobile computing and new manufacturing materials, 3D printing represents a veritable technology for the manufacturing economy worldwide, according to the Diplomatic Council. The think tank believes that three-dimensional printing has the potential to free countries that have hardly any manufacturing capacity of their own and are largely dependent on imports for consumer goods from this dependency, at least to some extent.

Changes in more and more industries

"Mass production without the immense initial investments - i.e. fixed costs - that have been necessary up to now, and with significantly lower variable costs than conventional manufacturing processes, will gradually fundamentally change more and more industries," postulates Otto Schell, Chairman International Relations at the Diplomatic Council and one of the pioneers of the "Industry 4.0" concept. He was one of the key idea generators of the BMBF's "Industry 4.0 Project of the Future" as part of the German government's High Strategy. "Industry 4.0" refers to the computerization of manufacturing technology and logistics. In the meantime, the term has gained a foothold worldwide and is used globally by the Diplomatic Council. Chairman Otto Schell explains: "The smart factory is characterized by adaptability, resource efficiency, ergonomic design, and the integration of customers and business partners into value creation processes. The technological basis is formed by cyber-physical systems and the Internet of Things as a business platform." The Diplomatic Council anticipates dramatically accelerated development, design and production cycles in much of the manufacturing sector and predicts a dramatic shortening of the supply chain. The Diplomatic Council has launched a Global IoT/Industry 4.0 Forum to address the impact of the Internet of Things and the fourth industrial revolution - digitization - on business and society. Among the founding fathers of the new forum are DC Chairman International Relations Otto Schell and Michael Fuchs, DC Special Representative CIO.