In the 20th century, science fiction books and films were filled with visions of the future. Isaac Asimov’s robot series highlighted the power of automation. Philip K. Dick, in his 1955 short story “The Automaton Factory,” It shows us how self-replicating machines can take over factories and push their production capacity “to the limit.”

Although most of the predictions about industrial transformation in the novel have not yet been realized, the latest World Robot Report shows that the number of new industrial robots deployed in major factories around the world in 2021 has exceeded 500,000, and the use of industrial robots is at a historical peak. I believe that with the rapid development of 5G, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence technology, the future industry will be completely different from the present, and it will be even more different from the 1955 novel.

Focus on industrial transformation and efficiency improvement

Today, the industry has realized that “Industry 4.0” will not only help improve productivity, but also effectively drive operational transformation, significantly improve operational efficiency, and enhance the competitiveness of enterprises. Although most industrial companies have begun to attempt transformation, accelerating and achieving scale is still challenging, and the tangible benefits of smart operations have not yet been proven.

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In addition, global businesses are facing unprecedented uncertainty, including the impact of the pandemic, the energy crisis, rising prices, fluctuating logistics costs, intensifying climate change, and increasing pressure to reduce carbon and protect the environment. This has had a serious impact on supply chains, forcing companies to put operational resilience, agility and sustainability at the forefront of their development planning.

Stimulate internal potential and lead industrial transformation

Under this situation, some manufacturing leaders are leading the industrial transformation and fully tapping the potential of “Industry 4.0” to promote industrial change. At Schneider Electric’s Le Woodrey plant in France, driverless vehicles and collaborative robots are already part of daily production. Thanks to its outstanding performance in digitalisation, industrial efficiency and sustainability, the Llewudreuil plant has been awarded the World Economic Forum’s Beacon of Advanced Technology and Sustainability along with six industry leaders. As the name suggests, “Lighthouse Factory” is leading the manufacturing industry to overcome the challenges of the fourth Industrial Revolution, while seizing the opportunities that come with it.

At the Lewudreuil plant, an integrated control centre brings together all operational data to show the performance of assets, energy and production processes. Control center dashboards display information from every corner of the 14,000-square-meter production floor, providing on-site operators and remote teams with real-time updates, warnings, and data-based insights on mechanical efficiency, line bottlenecks, or surges in demand. Since the launch of the digitalisation programme in 2018, energy consumption and carbon emissions have fallen by 25 per cent, material waste has been reduced by 17 per cent, and the AI-based recycling process has also helped to conserve precious water resources.