Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence permeates the entire Industry 4.0 ecosystem and is not only limited to the production floor. One example of this is the use of AI algorithms to optimize the supply chain of manufacturing operations and to help them better respond to, and anticipate, changes in the market.

Artificial intelligence is a driving force in Service 4.0. It offers disruptive solutions in generative design, human-robot interactions, and predictive maintenance. Greater adoption of AI expands the scope and transforms Service 4.0 by enabling the shift from simple automation to cognitive automation and further boost productivity.

Artificial intelligence permeates the entire Industry 4.0 ecosystem and is not only limited to the production floor. One example of this is the use of AI algorithms to optimize the supply chain of manufacturing operations and to help them better respond to, and anticipate, changes in the market.

To construct estimations of market demand, an algorithm can take into account demand patterns categorized by date, location, socioeconomic attributes, macroeconomic behavior, political status, weather patterns and more.

This is groundbreaking for manufacturers who can use this information to optimize inventory control, staffing, energy consumption, raw materials, and make better financial decisions regarding the company’s strategy.

An Industry 4.0 system consists of a number of elements/phases that need to be configured to suit the manufacturer’s needs:

• Historical data collection
• Live data capturing via sensors
• Data aggregation
• Connectivity via communication protocols, routing and gateway devices
• Integration with PLCs
• Dashboards for monitoring and analysis
• AI applications: machine learning and other techniques

After many years of Industrial AI being a distant aspiration for most manufacturers, today these technologies are real and readily available. Of course, the most important principle to gaining true value from an Industrial AI solution is knowing which one is relevant for any given business challenge.