Evaluation of Industry 4.0 Technology – Applications

Traditionally, a significant period of time passes before new technologies go from the phase of fundamental technology research and development to the phase of experimentation and focus on technology application research. The evolution of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), as documented e.g. through the Gartner Hype Cycle editions of the years 2002 to 2009, serves as a good example for the delay in wide industrial applications. With the successive realisation of the industry 4.0 paradigm, the readiness of many companies for the adoption of technologies which have far surpassed the prime of fundamental research – like RFID – is growing. However, this does not only produce a plenitude of ideas and well proven possibilities but does also bring along the tightly linked questions of applicability, effectiveness, and process security. The selection of appropriate technologies for any given process potential is thus an increasingly relevant challenge. While not all technologies are novel and, in some cases extensive experience has been collected, the application and process specific evaluation is essential before important investment decisions are taken. To be able to offer reliable decision support in the selection of process supporting technologies, a systematic evaluation of industry 4.0 technologies and their applicability for individual industrial use case is necessary.