Generational change in the food industry might be your greatest opportunity – Industry 4.0

The world and its economy are currently innovating at an unprecedented rate. There’s little doubt among the world’s experts that society is on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution and our food production, processes and manufacturing industry will feel it as much as any industry.

Knowing what’s going to happen and knowing what to do about it aren’t the same thing.  People and businesses who can grasp the nature of change and know what to do with the knowledge, thrive and grow, capitalising on the opportunities in a changing market.

To provide some context; the first industrial revolution was mechanisation delivered through steam power. The second industrial revolution was driven by electricity which lead to the concept of mass production. The third industrial revolution was driven by the computer which lead to automation the effects of which we’re still seeing as some industries continue to evolve based on these drivers.

The fourth industrial revolution driven by data, processing capacity and connectivity will see machine learning, autonomous machines and predictive analytics create seismic shift in how business and production is conducted.

Professor Klaus Schwab founded of the World Economic Forum in 1971 and is driving the world’s economic agenda on the fourth industrial revolution. Schwab literally wrote the book on the topic and Forbes have recently published an article on what getting ready for “Industry 4.0” means.

Industry 4.0Wiley have traditionally invested heavily in ensuring we’re at the forefront of innovation and trends that empower our clients and ensure both, return on investment and longevity of their facilities. The change drivers of; data, automation and autonomous systems have been central to our strategy for some time and now we’re pushing the agenda in the industry.

The time when a facility could realise returns and enhanced efficiency by implementing select technology in isolation to address a step in the process are no more.

To survive and thrive in the new paradigm requires a whole of supply chain approach driven by data. This means connected systems and integration across disparate elements of our business. Wiley is helping our clients access a ‘whole of business’ view, or in some cases, extending this not only across multiple locations and facilities but reaching beyond their organisation into the larger supply chain.

Our team are leveraging leading data intelligence solutions, systems integration partners and advanced modelling options to produce facilities that will not just survive in the new hyper-connected world but thrive in an economy where smart systems will make real time decisions to drive our industry and business to optimum efficiency. Wiley is enabling businesses to realise greater returns and rewards than ever before.

Knowing what’s going to happen and knowing what to do aren’t the same thing – but knowing what to do is what Wiley’s clients rely on.
Brett Whisker- Wiley
Interested? Talk to Wiley’s Commercial Technology Director, Brett Wiskar.