Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • CEO Issue
    • Diversity
    • Best Places to Work
      • 2022 winners
    • Processor of the Year
    • Rising Stars
    • Women Breaking the Mold
      • 2022 class
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Resin Prices
    • All Resins
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Viewpoint
December 01, 2016 01:00 AM

Industry 4.0 presents opportunity for some

Don Loepp
Editor
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Rich Williams

    I wasn't the first person on my block to own a smartphone.

    I also don't have one of those fancy thermostats that you can use to change the temperature of your house while you're still at work, or one of those refrigerators that send you an email when you're low on milk and eggs.

    So I understand the slow adoption of Industry 4.0. There are a lot of bells and whistles available, when it comes to new technology, for plastics processors. But it seems like most are fully engaged with Industry 3.0 right now, and are just vaguely aware of the concept of Industry 4.0.

    Perhaps this is a good time for a review. Because although we've been writing about Industry 4.0 for three years (I checked the archives), I know a lot of readers still don't understand what it means.

    Big picture, think of advances in manufacturing that started with the industrial revolution. You remember that from middle school social studies: factories started using water power, then steam power, greatly increasing output.

    The second industrial revolution saw massive increases in productivity thanks to assembly lines and electricity. The third — and this is where a lot of manufacturers are still focused — saw the introduction of computers and automation.

    Industry 4.0, or the fourth industrial revolution, is meant, once again, to bring a major step forward in manufacturing productivity. The term came from Germany, which saw a need to take advantage of its advanced technology in order to compete in the global economy, especially against competition from lower-cost countries.

    So what is Industry 4.0? It's a little more difficult to understand, but basically it's the advanced use of automation and data exchange in manufacturing. Thanks to advanced controls, sensors and easier-to-use software, machines of all types now pump out data. Everyone involved in keeping a plant running these days has access to all this data, and it can come in handy with things like ISO certification, tracking defects, and even keeping up with equipment maintenance.

    But until the run-up to K 2016, I didn't really understand what that all meant to the future of plastics processing.

    Industry 4.0 was a major theme at this year's K show in Düsseldorf, Germany. We knew, in the months leading up to the show, that many machinery exhibitors would highlight how their new equipment would fit into the trend.

    In fact, we devoted most of our second show daily at K to the topic. And we learned not just that it's a popular topic with German machinery companies, but that it's becoming a big trend globally, too. Machinery makers in Taiwan touted their Industry 4.0 strategies. Processors in Mexico expressed an interest.

    As our reporters fanned out at the show, they collected a wide variety of opinions about what 4.0 meant. And they ran into the term everywhere — at least in the machinery halls.

    I got my feet wet on the subject with a story I did on auxiliary equipment company Piovan SpA. It introduced a new product, dubbed Winfactory 4.0, which is a supervisory software that allows its equipment to communicate with primary processing machines.

    (As an aside, many companies at K had “4.0” branded products. I'm starting to think we missed the boat by not having “Plastics News 4.0”.)

    The company explained to me that with Industry 4.0, a molder can now easily track the entire cost of making a part on a specific injection press — including the energy cost of both the press and all the auxiliary equipment — and compare it to the cost of making the same part on other machines, or in other plants, or even in other countries.

    From there, they can compare the performance of different mold temperature controls, dryers, blenders — virtually every manufacturing variable.

    New tools, some skeptics

    Listening to the explanation, I started to understand why first adopters of this new technology may have a competitive advantage over the slowpokes like me.

    If you could know all the parameters of your manufacturing process, couldn't you optimize them to be more competitive? Couldn't you then make decisions about where to manufacture products? And wouldn't that give you an advantage over companies that don't collect and use all that data effectively?

    Still, not everyone is convinced. Our reporters at K found plenty of skeptics. Some think 4.0 is just a buzzword, or they pooh-poohed the concept, saying that their equipment has long had the ability to share information and generate data. What's really new? Not everyone understands.

    Helmar Franz, board member at Chinese machinery giant Haitian International Holdings Ltd., is one of the plastics industry's deep thinkers, and he was one of the skeptics.

    Haitian, which sells two-thirds of its machines in China, put what our Steve Toloken described as a cost-conscious spin on discussions of Industry 4.0.

    “With our system partners and with many of our customers, we are discussing a sensible approach to Industry 4.0, and we are weighing opportunities and possibilities, albeit with a sense of proportion,” Franz said.

    “Not everything which is already technologically feasible today necessarily makes economic sense for the individual plastics processor,” he said.

    He's right, Industry 4.0 won't be for everyone — at least not for a while. But isn't there an opportunity for companies that do buy into the concept, to compete with the many that will not?

    Loepp is editor of Plastics News and author of “The Plastics Blog.” Follow him on Twitter @donloepp.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Industry's newest concern: Public opposition to plastics recycling
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    DOJ files criminal charges against ABC Polymer over worker death
    2
    Pregis to close Kentucky sheet foam plant, blames lack of material
    3
    Challenges persist in resin distribution
    4
    Charter Next Generation buys Ohio films business
    5
    Auto suppliers asking for contract relief
    SIGN UP FOR TO RECEIVE THESE EMAILS AND ENEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Urethanes Technology
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Tire Business
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • CEO Issue
        • Diversity
        • Best Places to Work
          • 2022 winners
        • Processor of the Year
        • Rising Stars
        • Women Breaking the Mold
          • 2022 class
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Resin Prices
      • All Resins
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified