Experts believe that society is currently experiencing a forth industrial revolution which is due to develop its full potential over the course of the next 30 years. New networking technology is seen to change current production processes in a large scale, as once the Spinning Jenny did by increasing spinners’ productivity in Britain at the beginning of the first industrial revolution in the late 18^th century. In the past, following the mechanisation of the cotton industry, the introduction of Henry Ford’s assembly line started the mass production which marked the second industrial revolution in the early 20th century. Nowadays, we are experiencing the end phase of the third industrial revolution marked by the mechanisation of the industrial production processes to date back to the 1970^th. Thus, the 21^st century saw a lot of technological advances. Initially the numbers of factory sites were growing, and due to cost saving effort many production steps became outsourced to countries with low labour costs. The construction and relocation of factories, as well as the implementation of new improved machines have led to the foundation of the many technical lifting service providers such as Ainscough Vanguard Ltd. For more information click here and find out more about the technical capabilities that are possible in the industry.

What marks the new Industrial Revolution?

Nowadays, digital media already dominates the movie, entertainment, media and retailing industry, and influences our private lives and communication habits through social technology. Therefore, it is now believed that internet technology is finally going to change the manufacturing industry crucially. This process has been labelled by different names so far, being referred to as ‘Smart Factory’, ‘Integrated Industry’, ‘Industrial Revolution 4’ or just ‘Industry 4.0’. Here, there is no compliance given if the new industrial revolution should be labelled the Fourth or seen as being the end of the Third. Other sources state, that next to the digitalisation of production processes, another factor marks changes in the industrial world which are current efforts to utilise renewable energies and 3D printing. However, internet technology and its impacts on production dominate the thoughts of economists regarding the next industrial revolution.

It is believed that at the end of this epoch, machines will become a part of intelligently networked production processes and are expected to communicate and act autonomously. It is assumed, a total interconnection and integration of all involved products and machines is yet to come.

Soon, modern products will save their status and give instructions about their own processing, and machines itself initiate their own maintenance or reparation itself. Thus, factories will become self-sufficient and self-organising entities, which speed up processes and saves energy as well as material. Next to the upcoming, efficient development of machines, stands a close cooperation of different manufacturing and networking industries.

Consequences of the Digitalisation of Industries

Similar to past industrial revolutions, this one will result in a changed demand for a higher skilled labour with IT knowledge as simple tasks will be been taken over by machines. According to the economists, this will lead to a movement of the offshore production back to their original, richer countries in order to utilise the Know How of the local specialists, and to accomplish customisation processes. Consequently, plant moving and installation providers such as AinscoughVanguard.co.uk Installations will profit from the upcoming developments.