Tune Your Training to Manufacturing Industry 4.0 Trends—Or Risk Playing Catch-Up

Exciting changes are sweeping through the manufacturing sector, and if you’re not paying attention, you might just find yourself trailing behind the competition.

Let’s dive into these top manufacturing trends and what you need to know to keep your company at the forefront of innovation.

Top Industry 4.0 Trends

Here are the game-changing trends that are reshaping the manufacturing landscape from the ground up.

Industrial Robots

Industrial robots are establishing fresh benchmarks in precision, speed, and cost savings, shaking up old manufacturing methods. In 2021, a whopping 517,385 new robots made their debut, a 31% jump from the previous year. And the trend didn’t stop there; 2022 installations soared past the half-million mark.

Deep Tech

Manufacturing is no longer all about pushing speed, quality, and cost efficiency to the limit. Now, we’re talking about big-picture goals like sustainability. Deep Tech, with its arsenal of cutting-edge solutions like AI, machine learning, and quantum computing, offers innovative approaches to address these evolving demands. For one, it has the potential to find the sweet spot between profitability and sustainability in product profiles.

Factory Automation

The factory automation and industrial controls market is expected to hit around USD 304.43 billion by 2029, cruising at an 8.80% growth rate from 2024 to 2029. Automakers are on the front lines, pouring investments into automation to prepare for the electric vehicle boom and battery production scale-up. This big push is expected to crank up industrial robot demand big time.

Circular Economy

Say goodbye to the outdated “take-make-dispose” mantra and embrace the circular economy’s “make-use-reuse-remanufacture-recycle” approach. REMADE CEO Nabil Nasr says this is the key to upping US manufacturing’s game, solidifying the supply chain, and sparking job growth in the green economy.

Smart Manufacturing

Smart manufacturing is on a tear. In 2022, the market was already booming at USD 277.81 billion, and it’s on track to hit a whopping USD 754.1 billion by 2030, a growth spurt of 13.5% annually. Why the surge? It’s all about getting on board with Industry 4.0, plus a nudge from government support and a push toward being greener and more efficient in operations.

Metaverse

The Metaverse is stepping into the manufacturing scene, offering a virtual sandbox where companies can test, tweak, and perfect their processes and designs without real-world risk or cost. Siemens USA CEO Barbara Humpton believes the industrial Metaverse is set to be a game-changer for building stronger supply chains and championing local manufacturing efforts.

Immersive Tech

Immersive Tech, encompassing AR, VR, and MR, is reshaping manufacturing by boosting efficiency and productivity to new levels. With the ability to offer hands-on training and improve maintenance routines in real time, Immersive Tech is pushing smart factories to achieve peak operational performance.

Smart Glasses

Smart glasses are not just cool tech wear; they’re transforming how information is accessed on the manufacturing floor. In 2022, these handy devices accounted for more than 27% of the revenue in the industrial sector, and they’re not slowing down. The appeal? They slot seamlessly into production lines, offering workers assembly instructions right in their line of sight, which means smoother workflows and boosted productivity.

What Happens When You Sleep on Industry 4.0 Trends? Spoiler: Nothing Good

To begin with, the brightest talent out there wants to work with the coolest, cutting-edge tech. If your manufacturing environment is more “retro” than “revolutionary,” you’re going to find it tough to attract high-performers.

But it’s not just about looking cool. Skipping out on these trends also increases operational risks and environmental impact. Plus, without the insights provided by AI and data analytics, strategic decision-making suffers, making your factory less agile and responsive to market demands.

Indeed, keeping pace with ever-evolving trends is no small feat. Facing resistance to change and ensuring your dispersed team’s skills stay sharp and adaptable are common challenges.

That’s why global manufacturing leaders like Siemens and ABB have adopted a modern learning and training platform. Click here to see how ExpertusONE’s award-winning, AI-powered learning platform helps these global manufacturers, their employees, and their partners maintain their 4.0 edge.