Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 05 | Page 43

////////////////////////// The following workplace attitudes that will need to change as Industry 4.0 alters how we work: ‘That’s not my remit, talk to a different department about it’ Industry 4.0 is breaking down the traditional silos that separate the different departments within a business, with enterprise resource planning (ERP) software playing a crucial role. ERP software acts as a single-source for business intelligence in the age of Industry 4.0, presenting employees with real-time data when they need it, thus bringing departments closer together. Terri Hiskey, Vice President for Product Marketing Manufacturing at Epicor T he Fourth Industrial Revolution. Smart manufacturing. Digital transformation. Industry 4.0. Call it what you will, the current trend for automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies is transforming production lines, supply chains and product portfolios, disrupting how we produce and deliver goods today and transforming the manufacturing workplace of tomorrow. According to a recent Epicor study, 64% of businesses around the globe are successfully growing their profits and this growth trend has coincided with over half of global businesses assigning a high priority to IT investment. So, there’s no doubt that Industry 4.0 will soon have an impact on your workplace if it hasn’t done so already. With machine learning capabilities and connected equipment enabling businesses to automate the production line, humans can upskill, take on new duties, add greater value and focus less on repetitive tasks. They can therefore expect to be employed in more interesting and challenging roles in the future, helping their growth and personal development. Industry 4.0 will involve a significant shift in how people work; specifically their mindsets and habits. www.intelligentcio.com That data might include information about the status of a project, updates on a partner’s requirements, or analytics about customer trends or equipment maintenance schedules. For example, jet engine makers GE and Rolls Royce now routinely collect data from their products as they fly around the world to schedule maintenance. In doing so, they stand a better chance of reducing downtime for individual aircraft and keeping up with customer demand. When sales teams, management and production line staff alike can access real- time information like this, they can optimise conditions on the plant floor and improve orders and production output. “ INDUSTRY 4.0 WILL INVOLVE A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN HOW PEOPLE WORK; SPECIFICALLY THEIR MINDSETS AND HABITS. INTELLIGENTCIO 43