Imagine a future without machine downtime, zero inefficiencies, and more affordable products. That future is becoming a reality faster than you think. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), sometimes also referred to as Industry 4.0, is making this future a reality while simultaneously disrupting conventional wisdom about manufacturing. Take for example Zero Downtime Technology (ZDT), developed in a joint effort between FANUC and General Motors. ZDT monitors the health and stability of robots continuously, worldwide for GM. Globally, more than 50 unscheduled downtime events have been prevented by ZDT already, avoiding an average downtime of six to eight hours each and preventing thousands of lost production units. GM uses approximately 30,000 robots in its facilities across the globe, and about 8,000 of them are now part of ZDT—with that number increasing quickly!
How would this look on a grander scale? To visualize where we are going we need to understand how we got here. In the late 18th century, Industry 1.0 used steam power to run mechanical production. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that the emergence of electrical power helped us evolve into Industry 2.0 with mass production. The next evolution happened in the 1970s, when electronics and IT infrastructure began automating production and led to what we’ve known up through today as Industry 3.0. Our next step as a civilization is IIoT and Industry 4.0, where cyber-physical systems will monitor, analyze, and improve our manufacturing operations.