Industry 4.0?

?I was recently asked to present at a partner launch event. The event featured Crestron and Microsoft and the general subjects covered were a hit list of current tech topics: AI, Automation, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security and IoT. These are all elements of our day-to-day discussions at Crestron as we embrace new technologies to drive positive change for our clients.

It seems in recent times that the world has been turned on its head by these new technologies (particularly AI) and as a passionate student of technology history I couldn’t help thinking that there must be a definition or indeed a classification for these “signs of the times” trends. What I found really enlightened me. As many technologists (and Sci-fi buffs) have discovered, there is a level of predictability around progress: we know enough from our past to make predictions of our future. Writes such as Arthur C Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Adrian Tchaikovsky have predicted our future so accurately in their tales. Through research I was introduced concept of a multistage industrial revolution. I must stress these are not my ideas and concepts, but I was so struck by their poignancy I wanted to share.

Industry 1.0 - The first industrial revolution began in the late 19th Century – this is the “Industrial Revolution” that is talked about in schools and every history lesson we have sat through. What isn’t often talked about is the progression from that point. In many circles, this first industrial stepping stone is known as “Industry 1.0” insinuating that there is more to come. Industry 1.0 was signified by the industrialisation of the world, the introduction of mechanisation and machinery. It is the point in history when tasks were mechanised. Previous to this we achieved our outcomes through direct first party human effort or by utilising animal labour. The manufacture of machinery and the invention of the steam engine turned the world on its head.

Industry 2.0 was the next logical progression from mechanisation and saw the introduction of production processes and repeatable outcomes from factories and increasing efficient mechanised processes. The introduction of accessible electrical power at this point in history was critical to this chapter in history. The most famous example of an industry 2.0 milestone was Henry Ford and the Model T Car: the first mass-produced automobile.

Industry 3.0. This is now in the realms of recent history and is a period of history that the likes of myself remember: the introduction of computers, the space race, electronics and the automation and the computing overlay that led to such innovations as personal computing, processing and all the wonders of the electronic age.

We find ourselves at Industry 4.0. The Forth Industrial Revolution: Our modern age. An age of AI, cloud computing / hosting, IoT and cyber elements such as data security, interoperability and “smart systems” So much of the innovation we see today is neatly contained by the definitions contained within this Industry 4.0 classification. Industry 4.0 officially arrived in 2011 when the German government produced a report on a strategy for “Cyber Physical Systems” (citation: Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0—Inception, conception and perception - ScienceDirect )

So why stop here? Well, the definitions of Industry 5.0 have already been determined and we are already moving into this phase of our development as an industrialised species. “Industry 5.0 recognizes the power of industry to achieve societal goals beyond jobs and growth, to become a resilient provider of prosperity by making production respect the boundaries of our planet and placing the wellbeing of the industry worker at the centre of the production process.” This is a truly powerful statement that talks to sustainability existing alongside prosperity: two concepts that have, until very recent times, been mutually exclusive.

I look forward to the progression into Industry 6.0 and beyond. I’m keen to hear your thoughts and discoveries.