The Innovation Experts – Series 2: Industry 4.0 and the Future of Manufacturing shares the opinions of leading global experts on the future of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and related technologies.   

element14 has today launched a new eBook called The Innovation Experts – Series 2: Industry 4.0 and the Future of Manufacturing. The eBook shares the views of global experts including Omega, Schneider Electric, Advantech, ABB, Red Lion Controls and Eaton on the advancement of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and related technologies.

The eBook provides exclusive insights for panel builders, systems integrators and designers, industrial and electronic engineers including those involved in maintenance and repair who want to stay up to date with the latest trends, products, tools and applications for Industry 4.0.

“Industrial automation and control technology is growing rapidly with the increasing number of connected devices through the IIoT. Although many of our customers believe Industry 4.0 is complex and challenging to implement in brownfield sites, there is a magnitude of off-the-shelf hardware and software solutions entering the market, allowing engineers to create new products and systems that can dramatically improve factory efficiency,” says Simon Meadmore, Vice President of Product and Supplier Management at element14.

“We interviewed experts from some of the largest industrial equipment manufacturers around the world to uncover how they have introduced new technology into their manufacturing facilities, and that of their customers to improve performance and generate positive return on investment. We hope the breadth of technical insights shared in this eBook will help our customers to break down barriers and adopt new technology to enable innovation.”

The eBook offers valuable insights for those planning new digitisation projects to design and mainten industrial equipment, robotics and smart factories. Key topics include:

• Upgrading to Industry 4.0 using new and existing measurements – Omega Engineering provides expert advice to help process and manufacturing companies adopt Industry 4.0 principles by embracing digitisation. Omega shares innovative ways to upgrade existing facility systems with critical solutions to capture real-time information on the factory floor. Companies will learn about edge monitoring and control, how to identify new mechanisms to analyse big data and why it’s important to run critical pilot project evaluations before committing to full system installation.

• Aligning sustainability, business strategy and partnerships with Industry 4.0– Schneider Electric provides an exclusive overview of the company’s innovative approach to developing new technology solutions for the IIoT, including how key learnings are passed directly onto customers. Engineers and facility managers will be empowered to make smarter and often autonomous decisions that can streamline processes and accelerate the transformation to digital success.

• Integration is the gateway to unlock Industry 4.0– Advantech explains how a long-standing policy of embracing open architecture has enabled new approaches to asset integration, energy management, digital transformation, real-time monitoring and analysis. Companies will learn about the need for strategic business partnerships and the importance of embracing a new generation of engineers to maintain a competitive edge.

• Achieving process automation with design and analytics– Eaton showcases how companies can achieve process optimisation with innovative design and big data analytics to predict needs, inform smarter decision-making and generate new efficiencies. Eaton uncovers the challenges and strategic benefits of using new technologies to embrace Industry 4.0 principles and build digital factories for optimal performance.

• Harnessing Industry 4.0 to build a better future – ABB provides detailed insights on how to increase end-to-end transparency and visibility with digitisation. ABB provide real-world examples to showcase how significant improvements in safety, productivity and cost reductions can be achieved with Industry 4.0. According to ABB, companies must establish strategic partnerships and share common goals for increasing productivity in a safe and environmentally sustainable way, with corporate responsibility becoming a critical factor in the new industrial era.

• Using edge intelligence and integrated systems to create an IIoT framework– Red Lion Controls showcases how companies can leverage edge intelligence and integrated systems to access valuable process and automation data to improve operations. Barry Turner shares his views on the key requirements to build an IIoT framework and highlights the critical need for convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT).

Extended versions of all interviews featured in The Innovation Experts – Series 2: Industry 4.0 and the Future of Manufacturing are available as a podcast. Listeners can play back the series on all major podcast providers, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or visit element14’s https://in.element14.com/the-innovation-experts-podcast.

Responding to the growth of increased automation, smart manufacturing and robotics driven by the IIoT, element14 has invested significantly over the last 18-24 months to build a comprehensive industrial automation portfolio, which includes the latest solutions from global suppliers including Festo, Omron, Mitsubishi Electric, Control Techniques and Siemens. element14’s in-stock industrial automation range includes 550,000 interconnect products, more than 400,000 passive components and over 100,000 electromechanical products.

To download the new eBook: The Innovation Experts – Series 2: Industry 4.0 and the Future of Manufacturing in English, go to element14 in APAC.