Industry 5.0? We’re only just getting used to Industry 4.0...
15 July 2019
As we get used to Industry 4.0, in this guest editorial for sister title EPDT's IoT & Industry 4.0 supplement, Paige West, Editor of Connectivity, talks Industry 5.0 – and what it means for the interaction between man & machine.
By now, most of you will be familiar with the term Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 is set to revolutionise manufacturing – and the benefits it brings will redefine production efficiency and quality levels. Merging real and virtual worlds, along with enabling technologies including 3D printing, Cloud computing, Big Data and the Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 offers manufacturers a new world of opportunities for their operations.
In response to reports that the UK can gain massive benefits from Industry 4.0, companies small and large have been transforming their business by buying, funding or partnering with connected and intelligent manufacturing technologies and data management companies to ensure they are well-positioned. Robots, interconnected devices and faster networks of data within the factory environment make it more productive and allow companies to keep pace with today’s digital natives, who demand customised products at the push of a button.
But today’s consumers now want – and demand – more than mass customisation. They are looking for mass personalisation, which can only be effectively delivered when the human touch returns to manufacturing. Enter Industry 5.0.
Industry 5.0 is focused on the interaction between man and machine and aims to put humans back at the centre of industrial production. We’re already starting to see this, as humans begin to work alongside collaborative robots (cobots), and connect to manufacturing plants via smart devices, like tablets and phones.
In a Q&A with Raconteur, Phill Cartwright, executive chairman of the Centre for Modelling & Simulation, said “Industry 4.0 starts to err towards Industry 5.0 when you begin to allow customers to customise what they want. Within Industry 4.0, you can already design your own trainers online, and the manufacturer, wherever in the world, probably has the best technology, with the best price point, to deliver those trainers to your door. You can also go on the Mini website and select the kind of car you want, with thousands of different variables, not just colours, headlights and interiors, but lots of other apps as well. Industry 5.0 takes that concept of personalisation to the next level.”
Esben H. Østergaard, CTO & co-founder of Universal Robots, has written a Thought Paper on this topic, and he states that Industry 5.0 products empower people to realise the basic human urge to express themselves – even if they must pay a premium price to do so. Products like these can only be made through human involvement and human engagement. By putting humans back at the centre of industrial production – aided by tools such as cobots – Industry 5.0 not only gives consumers the products they want today but gives workers jobs that are more meaningful.
You can download and read his Thought Paper here: info.universal-robots.com/welcome-to-industry-5.0
Trouble is, industry is only just getting used to Industry 4.0 – is it ready to embrace Industry 5.0? I think you’ll find it already has, without even realising...
This editorial was originally featured in EPDT's H2 2019 IoT & Industry 4.0 supplement, included in the July 2019 issue of EPDT magazine.