Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1437657
12 ADI | Industry 4.0 and Beyond The Next Step in Manufacturing Today, the most precious resource in the manufacturing industry isn't steel, coal, nor electricity. It's data. Companies are beginning their Industry 4.0 manufacturing journey, the latest industrial revolution driven by artificial intelligence and massive connectivity. In this new age, data generated by sensors and digital systems allow businesses to monitor processes taking place in the physical world, laying the foundation for more flexible modes of production—an approach increasingly required by changing consumer demands. But consumer demand is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the current emphasis on Industry 4.0. With economic, geopolitical, environmental, and population issues and crises rippling across the globe, industrial labor supply and supply chains are being impacted like never before. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic is exposing a need for advanced technology, real-time data, and flexible manufacturing and supply chains. With increased automation and robots taking on repetitive, dangerous work, manufacturers can augment human labor and ensure continuity of production. This frees up workers to leverage their cognitive brainpower and enables re-shoring of previously off-shored automated and repetitive work.