What is Industrie 4.0?

Industrie 4.0 and the Internet of Things

In order to tackle the challenges our industry faces in the digital world, this constant process of change can be rolled into one term: Industrie 4.0.

Industrie 4.0 stands for the digitalization of products, production technology, and production processes. Digital data is used company wide by all those involved in business and value added processes. Throughout the entire lifecycle of a product, the line between the virtual and real world becomes blurred.

Based on this, the Internet of Things (IoT) emerged, where uniquely identifiable physical components, products or systems are represented virtually. In this world, all parts of industry are connected. People, machines, and products all communicate with one another.

Why the fourth industrial revolution?

The fourth industrial revolution

Constant change in the production world is nothing new; after all, the first three industrial revolutions gave us the steam engine, mass production based on the division of labor, and automation through control technology. What we are now witnessing is the digital transformation towards intelligent production. Industrie 4.0 presents solutions for optimizing complex production processes with new technologies. Industrial production and IT are growing ever closer.

This fourth industrial revolution is seeing the emergence of the smart factory. This describes an efficient and adaptable production system which achieves optimum value creation at every stage. The self-organizing value added systems can be optimized according to various criteria, such as costs, availability or the use of resources.

Industrie 4.0 at Phoenix Contact

Example of intelligent production

Together with customers and partners, we are actively shaping solutions for the future. With almost 100 years of experience in machine building and automation, we are ideally placed to take the digital transformation of our world and turn it into the intelligent production of tomorrow.

Here, extensive manufacturing capability, in-house machine building, and expert automation know-how are just three of the many reasons why Phoenix Contact is a reliable partner.

We are demonstrating what is already possible today in our own production processes. You will find various examples of use for the implementation of Industrie 4.0. Increase your competitive edge through more intelligent production processes for maximum efficiency and flexibility. We develop components, systems, and solutions that will enable you to achieve this.

Our practical areas of action

In order to make the advantages of Industrie 4.0 more tangible, we work in practical areas of action.

Consistently digital descriptions

Example of use:
Digitalization improves processes in tool engineering.
Outcome: for fully automated production in the future, thereby saving time and costs, tools and processes are described digitally throughout.

Communicative and secure

Example of use:
Secure communication during the production of I/O modules
Outcome: complex production processes call for intelligent communication structures. The considerable complexity of the system is made manageable for people thanks to the communication between the product and controller.

Autonomous and adaptive

Example of use:
Automation with maximum efficiency
Outcome: small batch sizes can already be manufactured at the same cost as mass production. The intelligent and autonomous production system is economical over the long term.

Easy to install

Example of use:
Automated wiring with Push-in connection technology
Outcome: the time-saving conductor connection makes wiring quick and easy.

Easy to operate

Example of use:
Making complex and flexible processes manageable
Outcome: information is available when and where it is needed. A human steers the increasingly complex production processes with the aid of digital information which is used consistently.

Resource-efficient

Example of use:
Digitalization of building technology
Outcome: for building and energy management, this results in consistent solutions for efficient operation through to integration of production systems. This increases energy efficiency while reducing operating costs.

Products

Relay modules

Whether switching, isolating or monitoring. Whatever the function you require – we offer custom relay modules.

Relay modules