Industry 4.0 (I 4.0) has been a hot topic for some time now – not only in the media, but also at management level in companies. Surprisingly, there is still no generally accepted definition of what exactly I 4.0 actually stands for.
Nevertheless, a common denominator can be identified in all answers to this question: I 4.0 is the next development step in industrial production; one in which IT has a dominant influence. But what does this mean in concrete terms?
Industry 4.0: An Evolutionary Process
The answer given here is based on the author’s conviction that I 4.0 is not a revolution, but a stage in a constantly progressing evolutionary process. This can easily be proven by looking back over the last three decades of production technology. A few keywords here are the introduction of PLCs into mechanical and plant engineering, initially as centrally structured control systems, followed by an ever-increasing decentralization, initially only on the hardware side via fieldbus systems, then the networking of control systems with each other; increasingly complex automation (e.g. cells) with higher-level master computers and a growing integration in plant engineering with the tendency to network everything with each other, which should lead to the Internet of Things in the future. This development chain has been made possible thanks to the enormous progress in electronics, semiconductor technology and software, coupled with the constantly falling costs of IT components.
The Vision of the “Smart Factory”
This development process is being driven by a long-standing idea in the minds of many production engineers: The vision of a factory that no longer needs humans to manufacture all kinds of products at any scale at minimal cost and that can flexibly adapt itself to any production program.
To say it straight away: this vision will probably have to continue to exist as a vision for some time to come, but we have come a good deal closer to its realization over the decades. So what is already possible today, not from the perspective of science, but from the perspective of a pragmatic company, and where is the journey heading?
It is probably impossible to give a general answer to this question for any type of company due to the huge range of manufacturing companies. However, if we focus on companies with series production, for example, the answer is easier. Depending on the quantities to be produced and the complexity of the goods, these companies use automation solutions of varying degrees of complexity, from low to high. Automation is an essential basis of industrial production and also the foundation for I 4.0.
MES Demand of Medium-Sized Manufacturing Companies
Today, many companies use IT systems in the area of production to varying degrees. These are often simple, Excel-based applications that are used for a wide variety of tasks (production controlling, QA, planning, etc.). However, as many of these programs exist side by side without being linked, they do not provide the maximum benefit. The still relatively young market for MES (Manufacturing Execution System) is trying to remedy this shortcoming.
MES Functions and Current Areas of Application
MES solutions are production-supporting IT systems. According to the definition of the term, they have a wide range of functions and combine MDA, PDA, DNC or planning solutions, which were previously implemented as independent programs, into one application. This eliminates the need for interfaces, allowing data to be exchanged easily between the modules.
An MES solution is always an individualized system because it must meet the individual requirements of production. Standard systems achieve this customizability through a high degree of built-in configuration options. Compared to these standard-based systems, customized solutions are usually ruled out due to their disproportionately high costs. Another disadvantage is that any further development of the system is associated with additional costs.
Today, MES solutions fulfill many functions. They ensure transparency in the processes and accelerated process sequences through faster information flows. They support employees by always providing up-to-date instructions and information at their work centers. They take over process planning, support preventive and operational maintenance, create the data basis for seamless traceability, integrate QA, monitor consumption through energy monitoring, to name just a few of the most important functions available.
The E in MES: the Influence of Industry 4.0
While MES solutions currently predominantly support employees as “information” systems, their functionality is shifting as a result of the ongoing development of I 4.0 so that their role as an execution system (the E in MES) is becoming increasingly important. This step means that MES and machines are becoming increasingly networked. For the future, this means that the MES solution will no longer communicate with the machine via DNC and process messages, but will also control it and intervene in the machine control accordingly.
Industry 4.0 = Interlinking the Entire Production Process
However, this step alone is not enough for efficient processes. What is required is complete networking throughout the entire production process, i.e. not only the integration of machines and systems, but also other process-related equipment and the integration and control of the process-chaining material flow. Up to now, cell computers have fulfilled such tasks on a smaller scale, but in I 4.0 the entire production is now affected.
As a result of this development, a major challenge is emerging: the large number of interfaces that exist in this integrative approach. From an operational and cost perspective, this can only be solved through standardization. This requires not only the creation of standards, but also a rethink on the part of plant manufacturers and machine suppliers, as this brings them dangerously close to the dreaded interchangeability of their products. OPC UA has created a basis for this, but it does nothing more than provide a general basis for communication. If we continue to think in terms of plug & play, content standards must also follow, similar to the application profiles for Profibus, which in turn represents a major challenge given the breadth of applications. The next step would be the exchange of relevant information in real-time across company boundaries, i.e. the binding of all suppliers involved in a product into the production information system. As many companies are suppliers and customers for many other manufacturing companies, the idea that a completely networked production network of all manufacturing companies would ultimately emerge is an obvious one.
Anyone Aspiring to Industry 4.0 Must Use MES as a Basis
If we return to everyday production, however, we can see that many companies still have a long way to go, as many small and medium-sized companies do not yet have an MES solution in place. For cost reasons alone, it is advisable for these companies to take the first step into the new world quickly. With machine and Production data acquisition as a component of an expandable MES solution, the company creates transparency that quickly enables cost reductions and productivity increases. Anyone who has successfully taken this first step is quickly ready to take the next steps. Which step exactly depends on where the shoe pinches the most. For example, planning can now be improved on the basis of solid data from production using manual, semi-automated or fully automated Detailed Scheduling. For some suppliers, traceability is also a sensible step towards quality assurance and improvement. Maintenance and energy monitoring can lead to further increases in efficiency.
Once the IT side of production has been built up step by step in this way, the next stage is to get closer to the machines and implement Process data, process locking, DNC and QA integration.
Industry 4.0 is a Situational Goal
In most multi-stage production processes, the interlinking of all process steps through an extension of the MES now leads to entry into I 4.0. Of course, it is often primarily a question of the quantities produced as to whether physical interlinking via automated material flow systems pays off or whether other methods are more suitable. While rigid interlinking has usually been the method of choice in the past, Industry 4.0 is moving more in the direction of flexible interlinking. All machines and work centers are then interlinked, but the different products to be produced follow their individual routes until completion. With highly flexible machines and systems, the resulting ideal would be to be able to manufacture all products in a mix. Whether this is at all sensible and achievable is certainly also a question of the breadth of the product range in production.
In even more advanced I 4.0 approaches, engineering processes and production processes are now being more closely interlinked. This goes as far as the web store, where customers can design their own “individual product variant”. And all of this is already possible today, even if it is still the rare exception.
If we stay grounded in the everyday world of manufacturing companies, I 4.0 first of all means the increased use of IT in production – i.e. MES. This is followed by the effective implementation of the “E” in MES: Execution down to the control level.
Finally, it should be said that Industry 4.0 is a very comprehensive approach that requires a cautious approach in set steps so that the whole thing does not fail. And perseverance is a cardinal virtue here.