Industry 4.0 (common spoken “industry four point o”) aka “Smart Factory”, is the digitalization of the production. It is seen as the fourth industrial revolution. The source of this term is German “Industrie 4.0”.

  • The first industrial revolution was the mechanization. Characteristic is e.g. the steam machine, powered by steam and water.
  • The second industrial revolution was the electrification. Characteristic is e.g. the assembly line, powered by electric current.
  • The third industrial revolution was the electronification. Characteristic is e.g. the Programmable logic controller (PLC), interconnected via bus systems.
  • The fourth industrial recolution is the digitalization. Charateristic are e.g. Cyber physical systems (CPS), interconnected via Cloud.

Precondition for Industry 4.0 is the Internet of Things, respectively the Industrial Internet of Things.

Why this is interesting for a Chief Digital Officer (CDO)?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the drivers of digitalization. Smart devices can be found everywhere. With the help of these, e.g. productions can be even more efficient and automated. Cyber-physical systems form the basis of industry 4.0. In addition, companies can make their products smart and participate in IoT. New business models can be developed. The Chief Digital Officer (CDO) in particular is being made responsible for this, or at least that is what they are there for.

See also (glossary Internet of Things (IOT)): Why this is interesting for a Chief Digital Officer (CDO)?
The basis of a Chief Digital Officer (CDO) is to develop new business areas and business models. This is summarized under the 4.0 term world or Smart Everything.

See also (glossary 4.0):

External links:

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My name is Jan Puder (LinkedIn profile Jan Puder). I am the founder & CEO of the BusinessTech-Company. Me and the BusinessTech-Company want to push the digital frontier. This is the reason, why I started this website. I want to provide information about digital businesses, especially for Chief Digital Officers.

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