Industry 4.0 tops the list of catch phrases used throughout manufacturing these days. But, adoption isn’t as widespread as one might imagine, at least according to SAP, which finds that around 20% of UK companies, for example, have an Industry 4.0 strategy in place.

Against this backdrop, a representative from drive and control supplier Bosch Rexroth describes new products coming to market that may “bring Industry 4.0 within reach of a broader range of manufacturers, even those working from longer established facilities.”

Technology developments are helping to bring Industry 4.0 practices within reach of more manufacturers.Bosch Rexroth electrification manager Mike Lomax says that increased performance are available from more widely adopted technology such as GPS localization and computing power. But, he says, “what is making the real difference now is the growth in availability of new and cost-effective technologies aimed specifically at extracting the true value of the Internet of Things for Manufacturers."

Lomax points to two technologies:

High-specification highly accurate sensors, capable of gathering critical real-time data; and

Special Industry 4.0 connectors (devices for data acquisition and transmission) that can bolt on to manufacturing equipment, gather information and transfer it to the cloud. “This removes the need to redesign equipment or purchase new equipment,” Lomax says …”and transform existing machinery models into full Industry 4.0 compliant options.”