Industry 4.0: what are the trends in 2020?

We’re living in times when things change incredibly quickly. This is particularly true of technology, where things have progressed so rapidly over the last 25 years or so, it’s led to this period being named ‘Industry 4.0’, or the fourth industrial revolution.

It can sometimes be difficult to stay on top of change when it happens so swiftly. People are scared to blink in case they miss something. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at what some of the big trends will be in 2020.

5G is here – just not everywhere yet.

This will have a huge impact on just about everyone, including businesses. It’ll speed up machine to machine communication and make it much easier to implement. Data production will be faster too, meaning production will be greater as well as efficient. Costs will also come down as less hardware’s needed to run 5G than with 4G.

 Increased use of AI

This one probably won’t surprise you as it’s a subject that pops up regularly. 2020 will continue this trend with AI being used to help with the demand for new products. Machines are now starting to ‘learn’ at a far quicker rate than ever before, which means costs are reduced and the size of projects has increased.

3D printing

Again, this is something that’s been around for a while, but the technology is advancing mind-blowingly quick. 3D printers are now so advanced, companies can build new products almost as soon as they’re ordered, and prototypes of products can be produced extremely quickly. They can also cut down on how much factory space they use, as there’s very little room needed for storage.

 The Internet of Things (IoT)

This is one of the most exciting developments of Industry 4.0, at least in the eyes of consumers anyway. It’s gaining traction for businesses now too, as it means devices and machines involved in complex processes and supply chains can talk to each other and fix their own software issues. This makes everything much more efficient and cost effective.

Cloud computing set to stay

Not only will it stay, it’ll continue to grow and evolve at a fast pace. One upward trend will be that of hybrid cloud systems where organisations adopt a mix-and-match approach and use several different types of cloud-systems to store data. An example would be a private cloud for sensitive information and a public cloud for things that are publicly available. The advantage of doing things this way is that you can adapt to situations very quickly if you need to.

Bang on trend?

There’s no doubt these trends will be what shapes business in 2020. Your business. Like a lot of trends, they’ll soon become the norm. It’s vital you keep up and make sure your business is bang on trend, so it remains strong and competitive.