Industry 4.0 - which in general refers to the 4th industrial revolution - is an era in which information technology is being used to drive industrial changes forward. In such an intelligent era, technology can improve production efficiency in multiple dimensions. In today's manufacturing environment, ''automation'' takes on a different, more advanced meaning than the traditional one. Automated processes and robotic assistance have long been part of production, which mean unprecedented speed and efficiency for repetitive, treatment-oriented tasks. The prevalence of these and other industrial technological developments is constantly increasing in today's manufacturing environment and they play a key role in maintaining competitiveness.
The term ''Internet of Things'' (IoT) dates back to the late 1990s. Although it was an abstract concept at the time, forward-thinkers foresaw that as technology advanced, the everyday tools and products we use would eventually ''talk'' to each other and network servers to improve their performance. The term ''Industrial Internet of Things'' (IIoT) distinguishes manufacturing devices from consumer devices, yet the underlying concept is the same. IIoT devices connect wirelessly to internal networks and, in some cases, to the global Internet. These tools represent a new phase of automation—collecting unprecedented amounts of data about every aspect of a process and sharing it with a central server. This data enables unprecedented analysis and action, resulting in increased efficiency and productivity.
In simple terms, IIoT is a component of Industry 4.0 and is not interchangeable as a term. Without the connectivity and data provided by IIoT, Industry 4.0 would not exist, let alone be efficient. IIoT enables further analysis and action, making it a key driver of Industry 4.0. Both IIoT and Industry 4.0 aim to simplify manufacturing processes and maintain manufacturing viability and profitability.