It's about the end-to-end connectivity within the industry: from the machine, via the edge to the cloud, and right into the ERP-system. It is difficult to be a specialist in each of these disciplines, and often not cost-effective either. Close partnerships are needed to ensure that end-to-end industrial digitalization from the machine to the cloud works. KUKA is working with SAP, Microsoft, Siemens and around 80 other member companies in the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance to drive the connectivity within the industry forward.
Industry 4.0 celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Over the past ten years, it has become clear above all that connectivity and digitization within industry require a level of perfection in theory that is rarely found in practice behind the factory gates. Industry 4.0 means connectivity. But Industry 4.0 also means complexity. The big challenge is how to connect different machines. Interfaces exist, but they are not yet seamless. "Industry 4.0 applications are not scalable today. The communication of the individual components must be coordinated individually with each machine supplier. In the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance, we rely on open standards and interfaces to actually transfer Industry 4.0 into practice," says Dr. Liedtke.
