Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0

A new wave is flooding our factories: Industry 4.0

Here, automation and data exchange come together in entirely new ways. It is shaping production systems that enable smart, data-driven and decentralized decision-making and further minimizing human interaction with processes. The opportunities to improve efficiency, lower costs and provide new services are enormous. But what does it mean for your business?


How did we get here?

While individual ‘smart machines’ driven by PLCs have existed for many years, the emergence of cheap data storage, hardware, cloud technologies, interconnectivity and ever-increasing computing power has pushed manufacturing process digitization to new heights. The result is the ‘smart factory’, where physical systems and software solutions communicate with operators and each other and make data-driven decisions – sometimes without any human intervention at all.

A world of opportunities

Industry 4.0 opens up a world of opportunities for manufacturing:

  • Sensors help detect defects or abnormalities early on in the production process, allowing for quick settings adjustments and parameters changes to prevent future incidents
  • Predictive maintenance of machines allows businesses to schedule downtime more efficiently and prevent incidents or breakdowns
  • Based on data and insights derived from manufacturing to delivery processes, the entire supply chain is managed much more efficiently
  • Worker health and safety improves, as data and incident analysis assists in identifying and preventing hazardous situations
  • Changes to production lines are simulated virtually before physical implementation to assess impact and reduce the chance of errors
  • OEM can provide a host of new services to clients – including predictive maintenance and quality control – by using sensor data
  • Optimise energy consumption using advanced analytics

Turning data into value

The essence of Industry 4.0 is the use of data-derived insights to make better decisions and thus create business value. From sensors to value.

The flow to turn data from sensors to business value


many large companies are familiar with Industry 4.0, but SMEs are discovering the benefits as well

The future SMEs

While plenty of big companies are already familiar with the applications and advantages of Industry 4.0, SMEs are starting to discover the benefits too. To meet the demand for personalized products and services and to be able to compete with big players, SMEs must also embrace the logic of data and insights to steer processes. 

But the best is yet to come for them: companies like SAP and Microsoft are pushing forward to make Industry 4.0 attainable for players of all industries and sizes. delaware is more than happy to guide you.

grow with delaware

How we can help you

  • create awareness through workshops, business games and quick scans
  • define improvement programs and offer vision, strategy and a roadmap
  • execute transformation at your company
  • build your business process architecture, monitor it, and train your people

Why choose delaware?

  • We offer a structured approach
  • We recombine business and technology
  • We collaborate closely with your team
  • We have 15 years of experience in business transformation in numerous industries

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Let delaware be your industry 4.0 guide