Is UK Manufacturing Geared Up for Industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 offers great opportunity for manufacturers, but the challenges may be even greater. The United Kingdom is the birthplace of manufacturing; it is of course where the industrial revolution began. While the UK has maintained its place as one of the world’s leading manufacturers, the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) could challenge that. In order to remain at the forefront of global manufacturing, the UK will have to adapt and embrace a few key changes, courtesy of Industry 4.0. 1. The Internet of Things & Data Analytics: There’s no denying the fact that data is a valuable commodity. In recent years, the manufacturing industry has realized the incredible improved efficiency and product transparency potential of connected technologies. Today, this means utilizing smart sensors connected to software through the internet of things (IoT) to streamline production. Utilizing IoT technology is a key component of Industry 4.0 and the manufacturing industry will undoubtedly be a part of it. Put simply, the more we know, the more we can improve and nothing tells you more than data. 2. Automation & Artificial Intelligence: Although automation may not be considered a ‘new’ trend, it will continue to have a significant impact on the manufacturing industry. In fact, 72% of manufacturing companies are increasing their levels of digitization with the aim of becoming ‘digitally advanced’ by 2020. It is also predicted that by 2020, 1.7 million robots with be in use worldwide. Although this understandably strikes fear into those employed by the manufacturing industry, it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the skilled workforce. Rather, automation will aim to take over repetitive tasks and provide human workers with the opportunity to conduct more creative and ‘human’ tasks. Additionally, artificial intelligence will become a key component of automation as it will be used to predict maintenance based on the analysis of anomalies that cannot be seen by the human eye. 3. Manufacturing as a Service: Perhaps the most notable trend to hit the manufacturing industry will be the shift towards offering manufacturing equipment as a service. While it may sound odd, it will become necessary as technology continues to rapidly evolve. Machinery is expensive and it simply won’t make financial sense for companies to invest heavily in equipment that will become outdated within a few years. Therefore, rather than buying machinery outright, the industry will experience a shift towards a pay-as-you-go model similar to that of the mobile phone industry. For example, let’s say that you need a motor for your manufacturing plant. Under the pay-as-you-go model, you could obtain the motor free of charge. Then, via remote monitoring, you would be charged according to how much the motor is used. This method of providing equipment as a service rather than a product will allow companies to continually upgrade to the best technology, which will lead to more efficient and cost-effective manufacturing in the future. Key Challenge Although the future of manufacturing in the UK appears promising, it is not without challenges. Increasing living wages and continued skills shortages will continue to affect the industry, especially as rapid technological progress demands an ever-increasing skillset. Brexit may also pose a significant challenge to the industry as nearly 50% of UK manufactured exports go to the European Union. As such, going forward, trade agreements and continuous education and/or training programs will be of special interest to the industry as they have the potential to positively or negatively affect the health of the industry.

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