The industrial sector is immersed in a process of evolution that aims to improve current processes, make them more efficient and turn the traditional factory into a Smart Factory.
Let’s take a look at the different stages that have marked the industrial trajectory worldwide:
First industrial revolution
The first industrial revolution was based on the use of mechanical equipment driven by water and steam.
Second industrial revolution
In the second, the use of electricity came to the fore along with the introduction of work processes and the division of labour.
Third industrial revolution
The third marks a turning point with the advent of electronics and information technology (IT), with the aim of promoting automated production.
Fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0
The fourth and current industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, involves structural changes at the organisational, production and customer management levels in order to achieve more efficient and productive factories connected to each other by means of autonomous systems. In addition, it is already possible to generate and analyse data without the need to involve people, through the use of centralised management and control platforms.
What are digital transformation enablers?
Digital enablers are technological tools that have the capacity to drive the digital transformation of industry by bringing these technologies closer to the reality of companies and making it possible to implement them on a day-to-day basis.
Advantages and benefits of their implementation
Digital transformation enablers bring with them the expected and sought-after optimisation of company processes, with the aim of maintaining and/or improving the quality and volume of outputs, increasing efficiency in all elements of the industrial value chain. From strategic processes to operational processes to support processes.
“Industrial remote control: the key piece your company needs”.
Types of technological enablers by area
To make a simile with a system of gears, each of the parts capable of transmitting movement are equivalent to the different main actors (processes, team, customer and leadership) that bring about change; while digital enablers act as a lubricant so that everything flows in an optimal way.
Let’s look at the enablers in depth:
Digital enablers for the hybridisation of the physical and digital world
1. Sensors and embedded systems
Enablers for the hybridisation of the physical and digital world allow the two worlds to be connected, either by capturing information from the physical world or by transforming digital information into a physical element. For example, sensor technology is incorporated into the means of production, increasing its efficiency or functionalities, thus optimising the process.
2. Advanced robotics
Robots are already part of our daily lives, both at the domestic level in their simplest form, and at the industrial level, where they play key roles in the rapid and automated execution of tasks. Advanced robotics goes one step further, establishing two-way communication between robots and control systems.
Digital enablers for communications and data processing
3. Cybersecurity
The information collected by sensors, wearables and other elements must be made available to management applications and vice versa. To do so, it must be transmitted securely in the internet environment.
4. Connectivity and mobility
In a globalised world, information can be consumed by multiple devices and people anywhere, anytime. Therefore, it is not only necessary to transmit information, but also to process it, requiring more storage and processing resources.
5. Cloud Computing
Cloud technology provides flexibility and scalability, taking advantage of Internet computing resources for storage processes and large-volume data processing without the need to invest in its own IT infrastructure.
Digital enablers for intra-enterprise and inter-enterprise management
6. Business solutions (software for CRM, ERP, etc.)
The way to trace visibility on the actions that are carried out in the business strategy as well as the management with customers is through the use of applications or business management systems, which embody production processes, sales, accounting, supplies, etc. Although business management systems are not a new element in the business scenario, they acquire a special relevance and it is necessary to adapt them so that they are capable of integrating data from devices and networks in a versatile and dynamic way.
7. Intelligence and control solutions (BigData & Analytics)
In this area, Big Data acquires special relevance as it allows the massive accumulation of data and its intelligent analysis in real time, providing valuable information for decision-making, optimising processes and increasing business intelligence. All this is possible thanks to the use of platforms that allow the integration and visualisation of data, where the user has the ability to monitor, manage and operate, in addition to obtaining predictive analysis to improve decision-making.
Address digital transformation with Nexus Integra
Nexus Integra is the intelligence and control solution that will allow you to make better decisions, increasing business intelligence, achieving a real digital transformation of your organisation.
The platform is based on IoT and Big Data technologies with the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and is capable of bringing together the control of all the aforementioned enablers in a centralised way, thus obtaining a 360º vision of the company and its processes.
And you… Do you want to take the next step in digital transformation?
Contact our specialised team
