With the advent of the new millennium, Italy too has entered the era of the fourth industrial revolutionthrough a process of modernisation company that transforms the industry into the so-called Industry 4.0.
In 2016 a government plan was approved that has undergone numerous evolutions and revisions: from Industry 4.0 Plan a Enterprise 4.0 Plan until National Transition 4.0 Plan.
This plan provides for the provision of Tax Credits for:
- Investment in capital goods;
- Research and development, technological innovation, design and aesthetic conception;
- Training 4.0.
In order to facilitate the transition towards a more modern and automated business model, the National Transition 4.0 Plan aims to provide incentives to those who intend to invest in new equipment, both tangible and intangible, that can foster the technological and digital transformation of production processes.
Furthermore, this measure aims to stimulate the investments in research and development, technological innovation, supporting companies in the transformation process towards the paradigm of theIndustry 4.0 and thecircular economy. As in all sectors, the training plays a major role. Building or consolidating one's skills in the new enabling technologies provided by information systems is necessary to achieve this transition process.
The ITS course in Industry 4.0 is able to provide its students with the necessary skills to organise and manage distribution logistics functions. The objective is the enhancing the supply chaini.e. the integration of supply, production, distribution and sales chains.
Introduction to Industry 4.0
The fourth industrial revolution comes after a long industrialisation process. The first industrial revolution dates back to 1784with the birth of the steam engine using water and steam to mechanise production. The second in 1870, with mass production, the use of electricity, the internal combustion engine and oil. The third in 1970, with the birth of information technology.
Through the digital transformation, the fourth industrial revolution is driving companies towards a completely automated e interconnected. It is a business management that changes the classic technological and cultural paradigms, moving towards a more smartfaster and more efficient.
Industry 4.0 therefore refers to a new model of production and business management. Such a model implies advantages at the level of flexibility, speed, productivity, quality and less waste, product competitiveness. Through the use of Internet-connected machines, the collection and analysis of information is more efficient, optimising the performance of the company. It also allows a more flexible management of the production cycle by improving human-machine interaction.
The Industry 4.0 revolution concerns not only the production methodbut also thework organisation. The new production models are increasingly automated and interconnected, fostering a traceability of processes throughout the production chain that allows for general, shared and largely collaborative information management.
The impact of new digital technologies follows four main lines of development:
- Data useCentralisation and storage of information through the use of big data, open data, Internet of Things, machine-to-machine and cloud computing;
- AnalyticsAnalysis of collected data in order to derive value from it;
- Interaction between man and machinetouch interfaces and augmented reality;
- Moving from digital to concreterationalise costs and optimise performance through the use of additive manufacturing, 3D printing, robotics, communications, machine-to-machine interactions and new technologies.
According to the latest report by theIndustry 4.0 Transition Observatory of Polimi, Politecnico di Milano, the turnover in Italy in 2020 exceeded EUR 4 billion, a growth of 8% compared to the previous year. It can be seen that there are currently approximately 1,400 Industry 4.0 applications deployed by manufacturing companies, 28% more than in 2019.
Author of the article
ITS MOVE - Editor
