Industry 5.0: The Human Touch in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

We live in a time of rapid technological advancements, where Industry 4.0 is already revolutionizing how businesses operate, with automation and intelligent technologies becoming increasingly prevalent in industrial processes. However, as we embrace the era of digitalization and smart factories, there's a growing recognition that technology alone is not enough to create sustainable and meaningful progress. To achieve that, we need to balance technological innovation with a human touch – and that's where Industry 5.0 comes in. What is Industry 5.0? Industry 5.0 is a concept that represents the convergence of the latest technological advances with human-centric values, ethics, and principles. It aims to put human beings at the center of industrial processes and empower them to leverage the full potential of new technologies while focusing on social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and overall well-being. Industry 5.0 builds on the three previous industrial revolutions, each of which brought significant changes to the way we work and live: Industry 1.0: The first industrial revolution started in the late 18th century with the invention of the steam engine, which marked the transition from manual labor to machine-based manufacturing. Industry 2.0: The second industrial revolution began in the early 20th century…

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The top five most digitally mature industry sectors in 2022

According to an international report launched by the World Economic Forum – in partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) – the top five most digitally mature sectors in 2022 are Semiconductors, Electronics, Pharmaceuticals, Energy & Chemicals and Logistics. You can find the full report here. The top four most mature industry groups in 2022 are the same from 2019: Semiconductors, Electronics, Pharmaceuticals and Energy & Chemicals. The middle two traded between the second and third spots from the previous rankings published in November 2019. In spite of their frontrunning positions, the top three industries – predominantly comprising multinational conglomerates – are not shielded from present-day challenges like the ongoing value-chain disruptions, global chip shortage and industrial decarbonization. The Logistics industry group has improved over the past three years to take fifth place. Operations in logistics have changed dramatically as a result of two key considerations. First off, the sector has been motivated to modernize and optimize its operations in order to meet growing demands as a result of the unrivaled rise of online shopping. Second, the rise of e-commerce titans like Amazon, Alibaba, and JD.com has forced conventional logistics firms to become more responsive, adaptable,…

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How to use Digital Transformation in Industry to revolutionize your factory

There is a lot of talk about Digital Transformation in Industry and what impacts these changes will have on the day-to-day operations on the shop floor. However, most of the articles found are more about the concepts of digital transformation in industry. They are not really helping companies use digital transformation in industry to revolutionize factory operations. In the manufacturing industry universe, digital transformations are mostly related to growth through Industry 4.0 and other technologies. Companies of all sizes are achieving admirable results in their business through digital transformation efforts, such as product and service improvements, increased operational efficiency, innovations, and greater flexibility throughout the production chain. Broadly speaking, we can say that to get real benefits from digital transformation in industry requires integrating digital technologies into all areas of a factory, dramatically changing the way companies derive value from their data and information. It seems strange to say this in the current context of Industry 4.0, but many companies still don't appreciate the importance of real-time data collection and processing.  Now we will present some fundamentals for using digital transformation in industry and getting real benefits: 1 _ Establish your goal   Here at PackIOT we have…

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What is Unified Namespace and why you need to implement it to experience Industry 4.0

By  Mario Ishikawa and Alexandre Patrus Many digital transformation actors are not yet familiar with Unified Namespace. Also abbreviated as UNS, this term was coined by Walker Reynolds, president of 4.0 Solutions, to designate a concept that allows real-time processing and traffic of contextualized, normalized, and aggregated information. Therefore, the UNS is neither a product nor a system, but a central tool for the Industry 4.0 scenario. And in this article we will explain why. It is very common for people to think that there is no data collection and processing problem in their companies, because the Industry 3.0 and factory automation scenario already works with data collection. However, when we talk abou Industry 4.0, we are talking about a much larger amount of equipment connected to a plant's network. And the UNS comes to help enabling the scalability of your digital transformation strategy. Industry 3.0 x Industry 4.0: what are the main differences in data flow? In this example, we can see a typical Industry 3.0 scenario: data flows in one direction only. It goes from the sensors to the PLCs, from the PLCs to the SCADA or MES systems, and sometimes also to the ERP.…

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50 free courses that every modern industry professional should be aware of

Do you want to stand out in your company, get a raise, and be a performer with better results? So this free special list is for you. According to McKinsey, the future of work will require two types of changes across the workforce: upskilling, in which staff gain new skills to help in their current roles, and reskilling, in which staff need the capabilities to take on different or entirely new roles. The key to adapt to the future of work in the manufacturing industry is to acquire knowledge on areas that will help you in the Industry 4.0 environment. And that is why PackIOT developed the special list: 50 Free Courses and Webinars that every modern industry professional should be aware of. This Free Special List covers areas that are trending on the Manufacturing Industry: 01. Digital Transformation This area covers topics like: sustainability through digital transformation, how to build a digital transformation strategy and leadership in digital transformation. 02. Lean Manufacturing and Production Improvement Fundamental principles, practices and tools of Lean Six Sigma, the Hidden Value of lean manufacturing and services and more.  03. Leadership, Management and Future of Work Will automation take away our…

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Your factory may truly disappear if you don’t take care of digitalization. And this is not a rumor

It is hard to talk about the disappearance of companies, the innovation gap, or the loss of market potential without remembering Kodak. If this story is already familiar to you, feel free to skip to the next topic. If not, read it carefully (please). If we stepped back in time a couple of decades to buy a camera: it would not be strange if the camera, its film, and finally the photograph were provided by the same supplier: Kodak. The famous company was founded in 1888 and for a long time one of the most valuable brands in the USA. Knowing the rise and fall of Kodak is an excellent way to understand how difficult it is to maintain a great business in this world of dizzying changes, where it is usual to see giants of the industry fall. The case of Kodak is exemplary: the first digital camera was born in their laboratories (1975) and they began to launch their first digital cameras to the market in the nineties. They were warned at least 10 years in advance of the relevance that digital photography would have and still went under. In 2012, Kodak filed for bankruptcy.…

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How data can help you to get a wage increase in manufacturing. Boost your income with simple steps

Manufacturing is still the 1st employer in the EU and 5th in the US. The strength of the industry can be seen in various global reports and companies have revolutionized the way they produce goods and products. And these changes lead to incredible opportunities for professionals who constantly prepare and train themselves. This naturally drives us to other possibilities: better jobs, vertical promotions, and internal salary increases. But how do you combine digital transformation/data with professional opportunities? This is the intent of this short guide. Be aware of your company's main numbers and goals Having clear information on the numbers that matter most to your plant is critical (outside the plant as well). It will make you reason about the data in your area and in your own work more clearly. In this way, your actions will be focused on generating value for your daily performance, for your sector, and for the company's objectives. Knowing these numerical details can make all the difference in the next steps of your career. If you don't know these numbers yet, ask your boss about them. Simple like that! Show interest and your life is going to be easier, you will…

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How to convince your boss to bet on digital transformation

We are already familiar with the story of having to convince someone about digital transformation: you found a fast, cheap and efficient solution for your factory, you left the last project meeting excited, but you still don't know how to persuade your boss. The ROI is positive, he can take a lot of benefits from it, so can you, and the company will win. But you can't make him/her jump in. It can be frustrating to go through a situation like the one above. But the idea of this article is to help you implement something new by convincing your boss of how important it is for everyone. And that's the first tip: everyone needs to realize that they are winning. First of all: it's all about negotiation Like it or not, you are a negotiator. Negotiation is a fact of life. These two sentences open one of the most important and best-selling books on the art of negotiating, "Getting to Yes" (Penguin Books), by authors William L. Ury, Roger Fisher. If we are all the time making agreements and resolving conflicts of interest in our lives, it is also true that, in a negotiation, the road…

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PackIOT has been shortlisted for NOS and AWS innovation program on 5G

We are honored to announce that we have been selected to be part of the 5G Accelerator - Collaborative innovation program is an initiative by NOS and AWS (Amazon Web Services), in partnership with Startup Lisboa, to accelerate 5G transformation and innovation in Portugal. With much faster speeds (up to 10 times faster than 4G), low latency (instant and real-time response to any command), and the ability to connect millions of devices, 5G will be one of the main drivers of the digital economy. There were only 15 companies selected from a list of hundreds of competitors, and PackIOT is the only one focused 100% on technology for the manufacturing industry. "We are very excited to be part of this program. 5G technology is going to have a big impact on production processes and in the digital transformation of the industry. And this is all part of our mission and vision"- Cristiano Wuerzius, CEO of PackIOT. With this program, NOS and AWS intend to support the construction of an ecosystem of innovation and 5G entrepreneurship ecosystem in Portugal, leading the digital transformation and fostering the creation of opportunities associated with the new mobile technology.

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Lean Manufacturing Implementation: from zero to hero

For any type of business that wants to be successful, they will need to understand and fully implement the lean manufacturing principles. This is a business concept that has been around for decades but it is only now that the actual effects of the lean manufacturing method are being felt. If you go back to the 1970s, many large corporations tried to use lean manufacturing methods as a way to cut costs and improve productivity. But now, almost every major company that you look to for a new job or even an employee is doing this. What is Lean Manufacturing? Lean manufacturing, or Lean production, is a management philosophy from the Toyota Production System that focuses on reducing the seven types of waste (overproduction, lead time, transportation, overprocessing, inventory, motion, and defects). By eliminating this waste, quality improves and production time and costs decrease. Lean tools include continuous review processes (kaizen), pull production (in the kanban sense), and fail-safe elements/processes (Poka-Yoke). Lean Manufacturing was developed by Toyota executive Taiichi Ohno during Japan's post-World War II reconstruction period. The term was coined in 1988 by John Krafcik, but more clearly defined and popularized by James P. Womack and…

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