Look who’s talking…
Innovation often happens in the SME’s and ‘sheds’ of industry, and we all try to do our fair share of ‘thinking out of the box’, but sometimes a step-change isn’t an innovation.
Industry 4.0 is one of the current buzz-words surrounding manufacturing, but unlike the first industrial revolution it was not initiated through innovation. Industry 4.0 is a way of thinking, not an invention like the Spinning Jenny. The mechanisms, i.e. Bluetooth, wireless, etc have been around for a while, and for plant process lines it’s just about integration of these systems and knowing how to use the data to provide more efficient output.
SME’s, the backbone of UK industry however, will not be the drivers, but will have to rely on bigger players to instigate the change. There are many different ways/technologies enable this ‘inter machine communication’, but it’s going to these larger players who will define what will become industry standard.
Small companies like Farleygreene and Sievgen have to have their finger on the pulse, and be in the best position possible to offer this technology as and when customers require it. Smaller companies will have to be open enough to work with other SME’s in the process chain to enable the system as a whole to behave as a single chain of command.
Here at Farleygreene and Sievgen we’re getting ourselves ready for this step-change, and are already engaged with certain industry experts about systems currently available. The next generation of our sieving systems is projected to have Industry 4.0 integration. This is a great chance to be behind the first wave of Industry 4.0 installations in the powder processing sector, thus enabling us to offer huge advantages to aid increases in production.
– David Buckley, Product Development Manager