Can Sustainability develop within the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

The wheels of the Fourth Industrial Revolution—driven by Industry 4.0 technologies—are turning faster day after day. This fast acceleration is fueled by four main technology drivers: IoT (Internet of Things), AI (artificial intelligence), Cloud/Big Data/Cyber (CBC) and Robotics.

The impact of the industry 4.0 in terms of productivity & automation becomes tremendous as it forces the convergence between physical and digital world through cyber-physical systems, robots and IoT tools. From our own industrial experience, we saw a real shift from a heavy centralized industrial control systems (built often upon use of traditional ERP) to a smarter and more decentralized platform where AI/Agile Software define the production steps, develop closed-loop data and control systems that enable the personalization and customization of products. Such shift results often in improving productivity, brings higher flexibility and agility and finally leads to a better customers and partners experience.