Educate Your Operators—Don’t Replace Them 

The manufacturers lighting the way through the Fourth Industrial Revolution—the report refers to them as “lighthouses”—are not automating to replace operators. Instead, they are using Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to improve quality, productivity, agility, and customization. Such initiatives require new skills from operators, so there will be a need for education and enrichment—but not elimination. Employees then become invested in further progress. “Democratized technology on the shop floor can also allow operators develop their own apps and solutions to facilitate and automate their tasks,” according to the paper.

Such an approach also benefits business, because not everything can be automated. The report estimates that “fewer than 5% of occupations consist of activities that are 100% automatable with today’s technology, while 62% of occupations have at least 30% of automatable tasks.”

The best course action, according to the study, is to “augment, instead of replace, the operator.”

You May Still Be able to Utilize Existing Equipment

Manufacturers may fear the Fourth Industrial Revolution because of the effort and cost of updating or replacing entire production lines. But the study reports that many leaders in the Fourth Industrial Revolution have been able to connect and optimize existing equipment and complement it with new models. “In contrast with the First and Third Industrial Revolutions, the Fourth Industrial Revolution will have relatively high impact with comparatively little equipment replacement,” according to the paper.

Data Can Help You Make Decisions 

The paper claims that in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, “decisions are not hypothesis-driven, but rather are based on big data.”

The good news is that you have plenty of sources for such data. Italian company and “lighthouse” Elettrotecnica Rold Srl has been using real-time digital dashboards to monitor OEE in multiple plants. “These have provided the ability to input reasons for stoppages of faults,” according to the paper. In addition, the company is employing sensors in manufacturing, which “has allowed for digitization of any kind of production machine along with real-time collection of production data, which is used to build dynamic, interactive dashboards.”

You Can Collaborate with Others for Assistance

Given government investments, research by private institutes, and progress made by pioneering lighthouses that are sharing their learnings, there is extensive support for others interested in Fourth Industrial Revolution.

You Do Need to Keep an Eye on Security, But You Would Need to Do that Anyway

Cybersecurity risks exist throughout society and business, and as companies and products become increasingly connected, the risks do multiply. The good news is that lighthouses have already demonstrated that “by developing good IP and cybersecurity policies and protocols, lighthouses have managed to maintain effective security to mitigate risk while enabling collaboration,” the paper reports. These pioneers understand that “the benefits of transparency and growth opportunities far surpass the potential for competitive threats. Not only do they open their doors to close partners, but they also welcome thousands of visitors per year.”

Fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies Could Lessen a Company’s Resource Use 

The World Economic Forum and McKinsey state that manufacturers should employ Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies “to improve their energy efficiency, increase yield, and reduce waste and emissions while enhancing overall competitiveness.” The report urges such actions given claims that “the world faces a significant challenge with regard to climate change, with a recent report from the IPCC stating that emissions must be cut by 45% by 2030 to keep below 1.5°C warming.”

But even if companies choose not to take a stance on climate change, such reductions in resource use could be sought for business reasons—they could also benefit company bottom lines.

Medtech Already Has a Fourth Industrial Revolution Model

The report names several “lighthouses” that can serve as beacons for Fourth Industrial Revolution success, including medtech’s own Johnson & Johnson DePuy Synthes in Cork, Ireland. MD+DI covered J&J’s progress last year after the company shared gains at The Medtech Conference.

And There Are Dozens More Reasons to Move Beyond Pilot Stage

The World Economic Forum and McKinsey list dozens of positive impacts seen in Fourth Industrial Revolution use cases. Here are just a few:

• AI-enabled quality management system has reduced customer complaints by 57%
• Advanced analytics on deviations has led to an 80% reduction in deviations
• Flexible automation assembly line has increased labor productivity by 30%
• Collaborative robotics has increased labor efficiency by 25%
• Additive manufacturing (3D printing) has increased cycle time by 60%
• Digital thread through production process has improved productivity by 38%