Industry 4.0

The 'Industrial Revolution' is a term we have all heard before, but what about 'Industry 4.0'? The evolution of technologies has been a steady process since the 18th century and there are 4 main stages of the industrial revolution, and we are now in the 4th, this is where the term 'Industry 4.0' comes from. "The evolution of technology from the most recent industrial age to the technology era" (T,A, 2018). Telukdarie points out that in the height of new technologies we are still finding it hard to fully determine what it actually means to be part of the next stage of the industrial revolution therefore stating it is an evolution, a process that is still happening. 

Gilchrist shares a similar theory towards 'Industry 4.0' as Telukarie. He suggests that the idea of it isn't actually that new, "Industry 4.0, like so many new technologies in the Century, is not a new concept; it is more a rebirth of an older concept that is utilizing newly developed technology." (G,A, 2016). This is an interesting notion which allows us to better understand where we are in relation to Industry 4.0. However, there are so many different theories about where we are in the current stages of evolution so I find it difficult to build a strong analysis of what actually is going on. 

In an article wrote by Garbee, she speaks about how we might not be in or even close to the forth industrial revolution at all. "The simple fact that things will fundamentally change at a nonlinear rate doesn’t differentiate this next progression in our technological evolution."(Garbee, 2018). What Garbee is saying is that, just because there is currently no order of when and how things are adapting to the future, doesn't necessarily mean that we are progressing towards Industry 4.0. It could mean that were still developing on the 3rd Industrial Revolution, but nevertheless we are still progressing towards the future. 

We are in the peak times of connection and were becoming more digitalised than ever, "Nearly 70% percent of the world's population owns a mobile phone" (EdSurge 2018). We are all connecting through mobile devices, thats not a new craze. But, the fact we are now at the stage of recognising the AR and VR technologies and how we can integrate them into our daily lives shows that we are speeding through the industrial revolution, which is really exciting stuff. Because of this, there are now hundreds of new job opportunities being created in the upcoming markets. However at the same time, people are losing their jobs due to artificial intelligence, machinery and robots at an alarming rate. 

In conclusion, to my understanding of Industry 4.0 I feel that the progression that we are going in is for the best, it isn’t damaging society as much as people think it is. Although some jobs are being lost, it is only a fraction compared to the number of new openings. Industry 4.0 is shaping society for the better.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

EdSurge. (2018) The Most Important Skills for the 4th Industrial Revolution? Try Ethics and Philosophy. EdSurge News. [online] Available at: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-10-06-the-most-important-skills-for-the-4th-industrial-revolution-try-ethics-and-philosophy [Accessed 15/09/18]

IoT World Today (2018). How Industry 4.0 will change your job. [online] Available at: https://www.iotworldtoday.com/2017/01/30/how-industry-40-will-change-your-job/ [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].

Telukdarie, A. 2018. Process Safety and Environmental Protection. Industry 4.0 Implementation for Multinationals, 118, 316 - 329 [Accessed 15/09/18]

Techopedia. (2018) What is the Digital Revolution? Techopedia [online] Available at: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/23371/digital-revolution [Accessed 15/09/18]

Gilchrist, A. (2016). Industry 4.0 

Garbee, E. (2018). Slate’s Use of Your Data. [online] Slate Magazine. Available at: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/01/the_world_economic_forum_is_wrong_this_isn_t_the_fourth_industrial_revolution.html?via=gdpr-consent [Accessed 16 Oct. 2018].