Industrial trends for 2019: How manufacturing will shape up

ndustry 4.0, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Regardless of the phrase used to described digitalisation in manufacturing, there’s no denying that a shift has already taken place. But is the age of industrial buzzwords coming to a grinding halt? Manufacturers have long felt the pressure to invest in new technologies. In the so-called age of Industry 4.0, this pressure has been heightened by an influx of products and initiatives, all claiming to help manufacturers digitise their operations. Unfortunately, some of these schemes are nothing more than a waste of money. Don’t get me wrong, there is certainly value in investing in technology to enable digitalisation in factories’ practices. However, rushed approaches have led to some manufacturers making haphazard investments. For example, some have delegated digitalisation to third parties and as a result, are not in charge of their own automation.