We are currently facing one of the largest societal challenges in the last decades: the fourth industrial revolution. Cyber-physical systems link the digital and the physical world. Machine-to-machine communication enables autonomous systems, which enhance productivity even further. Smart innovations in the manufacturing industry are required to secure the welfare and wellbeing of our society.
The fourth industrial revolution involves advances in underlying technologies, changes in the business models of firms and is likely to have a deep impact on our society. With its “high tech – human touch” approach, the University of Twente is uniquely positioned to provide integral solutions for this multi-dimensional phenomenon. The University of Twente has expertise in almost all steps of the supply chain. Further exploring the cross-faculty collaboration in order to find integral solutions for the fourth industrial revolutions is a specialty of our university.
The University of Twente has expertise along the complete smart industry supply chain: design (cyber physical systems and customer intimacy), supply (supplier embedding and machine-to-machine negotiation), logistics (drones, physical distribution, materials handling) and production (automation, robotics and mechatronics, predictive modeling, zero defect manufacturing, additive manufacturing, flexible production), as well as adjunct functions ICT (data mining, value creation based on big data, Internet of Things), Business models, physical readiness (sensors and actuators, advanced materials, MEMS/NEMS technology), human/ change management (I4.0 skills, future of work) and legal/ policy / societal impact (smart society, machine-to-machine contracting). Scholars from all faculties engaged in smart industries work together in the Industry 4.0 consortium @ University of Twente.