While early adopters found more promise than productivity, Industry 4.0 has finally come of age. After decades of increased process automation with the integration of IT, companies were swayed with visions of rapid next-generation transformation of increased connectivity through smart physical/digital integration. Many industry leaders looking to gain or maintain advantage began engagements with teams of consultants and invested millions of dollars in transformational planning, only to have efforts stall as total site solutions failed to materialize.
Now, in recent years, companies have realized gains are best considered and implemented at the individual process level, making savvy investments in key process areas that are easy to deploy and simple to use. Products designed with real and ready physical/digital integration are readily accessible avenues to direct improvement in operational effectiveness; the new central challenges are prioritizing Industry 4.0 efforts and selecting enduring solutions.