1INDUSTRY 4.

0
David Gonzales.
Pablo Tonato.

UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA SALESIANA.

Ingeniería eléctrica.
Automatización Industrial II.

Abstract
Industry 4.0 is strategic project to promote innovation in its manufacturing industry and
enhance its competitiveness. In recent years, innovative projects in this area have reached
remarkable results and drawn attention from the whole world. The contribution also
pointed out recent trends of Industry 4.0 development and their implication.

Introduction.
Industry 4.0 is a future project proposed by government agencies. From the name, it
implies that the time for the fourth industrial revolution has come. This revolution is
driven by the great leap of internet/communication technologies, which facilitates the
connection between real and virtual world, and increases the productivity of
manufacturing industry. Meanwhile, the working environment of people will be further
improved. The sponsorship from government and wide participation from the whole
society is fundamental to the success of Industry 4.0, and its innovation is deeply rooted
into each industry, such as automotive industry, textile industry, or mechanical industry.
Each federal ministry has close cooperation with stakeholders in each industry, and
sponsor their projects with knowledge and funding. Thirdly, the project members include
companies, universities and government agencies, with a close integration of these three
areas.

Figure1. Industry 4.0 projects in different industries

 Theoretical framework.
What characterizes the new Industry 4.0?
There are certain aspects that characterize the new Industry 4.0 and that differentiate it
from the industry of other historical revolutionary moments also of vital importance in
the past. A basic point is found in automation and intercommunication. This has a special
impact on an industrial scale, since it interconnects productive units, creates digital
production networks and allows to accelerate all types of resources in a much more
efficient way. So, we can find four basic aspects:

-Automation.
-Digital access to the client and many more users in less time.
-Connectivity.
-Digital information.

These four aspects of the new industry show the degree of transformation before which
we find ourselves today. Now, the new Industry 4.0 is able to provide new answers to
customer demands. That is to say, that at the level of products, processes and business
models, the impact is decisive in a value chain, since it brings novel benefits. But we
must also stress that there are certain threats, because many factors can be left out, such
as some unskilled labor. At the same time, the new industry incorporates great quality in
its production, which is coupled with a significant reduction in costs. Logically,
digitization has a drastic impact on all social factors, and industry is not immune to it. So,
just as we talk about Industry 4.0 as something revolutionary and historical, we could
also refer to a new Society 4.0 that walks hand in hand, through elements such as
electronic administration, specialized training, globalization, and, ultimately, a new world
formed by Smart cities, where everything is more intelligent, refined, constructive and
beneficial.

Figure2. Automation and intercommunication.

Advantages of Industry 4.0
Immersed as we are in this new and fourth industrial revolution, it is worth mentioning
the advantages of Industry 4.0, which has them and is very numerous:
-Processes are obtained more refined, repetitive and without errors or alterations. Thus
we achieve an uninterrupted production and available 24 hours a day. A remarkable
advantage for highly seasonal companies, for example.
-Quality levels are optimized. The automation of processes allows greater precision in
weights, measurements and mixtures. What's more, downtime and interruptions are
avoided.
-Obviously, the greater efficiency, the greater cost savings. Automated processes require
fewer staff, fewer errors and greater energy efficiency, raw materials, etc.
-Production times are cut drastically.
-Greater security is achieved for the personnel involved in each process. This point is
especially important for work at high temperatures, with heavy weights or in hazardous
environments.
-The production is much more flexible, since the product is adaptable to the requirements
of each company in particular.
-The flow of data is now much more efficient thanks to communication networks.
Reaction times and decision making are reduced.
-As is logical, business competitiveness is much higher. The needs of the markets are best
met, high quality products are offered and the changes are reacted more quickly and
flexibly.
-It ensures great potential to connect millions of people through digital networks.
-Thanks to the new industry, the management of assets is more sustainable, and can even
regenerate the natural environment.
-The efficiency of organizations improves in efficiency in a manifest way.

Disadvantages of Industry 4.0

But not everything is a good thing in the industrial revolution that we live. There are
certain drawbacks of Industry 4.0 that organizations must face. They emphasize in this
aspect:
-Not all organizations are adapting at a good pace to the new methods. In fact, now that
the changes are getting faster every day, many industries run the risk of becoming very
outdated in a short time.
-Not always governments and their legislations change and evolve at the speed that
industry and technological advances require. However, they must regulate, and not only
focus on obtaining benefits.
-Be careful with the balance of power, since innovation and access to resources can cause
them to change excessively and even dangerously.
Industrial advances at excessive speed can allow inequalities to grow and social
fragmentation to exist.
-The personnel needed in the new processes is more specialized, and it is not always easy
to access these profiles, which also require higher remuneration.
-The cost of the investment is now higher, especially at the beginning. However, we must
take into account the ROI, and in the medium and long term, it recovers excessively, but
at the beginning maybe not everyone can face the costs.
-Industry 4.0 has a huge technological dependence, given the great specialization
required in the machinery. Thus, new specific needs are developed that must be identified
and solved as soon as possible.
-Obviously, technological obsolescence appears. The risk is very high and must be taken
into account in any initial project to calculate the ROI and the amortization of the
investment, among other factors.
-Broadly speaking, this is a good summary of Industry 4.0, what it specifically consists
of, and what advantages and disadvantages it projects in our present, but also in the
nearest future.

References.
1. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forsching, Industrie 4.0, Innovation für die
Produktion von Morgen. Bonn, Germany, 2015.
2. Indstry 4.0 Advances of Germany’s manufacturing innovation, Wei Feng ,
China 2017.
3. https://www.bmbf.de/de/zukunftsprojekt-industrie-4-0-848.html
4. http://www.aldakin.com/industria-4-0-que-es-ventajas-e-inconvenientes/