Smart Factory - the heart of Industry 4.0

At its core, Industry 4.0 is about intelligently linking all technologies, processes, company ecosystems and "things" to create an overall digital concept. However, until this is achieved, almost all companies have a lot of change and adaptation measures on their agenda.

The smart factory area, a core element of Industry 4.0, is of great importance here. It offers opportunities, but also requires investment and management commitment in shaping the transition to a new world of industry.

The analyst firm Lünendonk, in collaboration with T-Systems, has published a white paper entitled "Smart Factory - How digitalization is changing factories" as a guide to questions relating to the fourth industrial revolution.

The smart factory is primarily about using software to network machines and systems in such a way that they communicate intelligently with each other and automatically coordinate their work steps.

This networking takes place within a factory, but in future it will primarily take place within production networks. However, essential prerequisites - such as a universal production language and standards and norms as a common semantic basis - are required for realization, some of which are still under development.

Many technological building blocks, on the other hand, are already available for practical use. The realization of the smart factory is new territory for everyone involved. Drawing up an overall roadmap for their own transformation is part of every company's specifications.

The demands on management here are high. Management should therefore have basic IT expertise - after all, IT in combination with telecommunications is a key factor in the transformation that will take years.