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Industry 4.0: What Manufacturing Looks Like in the Digital Era

by Sponsored Content

The following content is sponsored by ASE Global

ASE Industry 4.0 Manufacturing in the Digital Era Main

Industry 4.0: What Manufacturing Looks Like in the Digital Era

It might sound futuristic, but the Fourth Industrial Revolution—also known as Industry 4.0—has already begun.

Following the Industrial Revolution’s steam power, electrification in the 1800s, and the Digital Revolution of the late 20th century, Industry 4.0’s innovative smart technology is unlocking the next steps in automation.

So what does the next major evolution of manufacturing look like? This graphic from ASE Global breaks down the rollout of Industry 4.0, from increased robotization to lights-out manufacturing.

The Basics of Industry 4.0

Each industrial revolution has built on what came before, incorporating new technologies and knowledge of manufacturing. Industry 4.0 has four core principles paving the way:

  1. Interconnection: Machines, devices, sensors, and people in the manufacturing process all connecting and communicating with each other.
  2. Information transparency: Comprehensive data and information being collected from all points in the manufacturing process, allowing for more informed decisions.
  3. Technical assistance: Improved technological facility of systems assisting humans in decision-making, problem-solving, and difficult or unsafe tasks.
  4. Decentralized decisions: Cyber physical systems that are able to make decisions on their own and perform tasks autonomously.

Combining these principles is what makes the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution unique. Much of the underlying technology has been available for decades, including robotics and networks, but properly using them together unlocks a massive stride in manufacturing capabilities.

Already, the market size for Industry 4.0 specific technology was estimated to be $116.1 billion in 2021. (Read more...)

Visualizing The Global Semiconductor Supply Chain

by Sponsored Content

The following content is sponsored by ASE Global

Visualizing The Global Semiconductor Supply Chain Main

Visualizing The Global Semiconductor Supply Chain

Our digitally-driven society is powered by an extremely robust semiconductor supply chain, and until the COVID-19 pandemic, not many people thought about it.

But a sudden surge in demand for digital goods, improved technologies, and recovering economies put the strain and spotlight directly on semiconductors.

The millions of digital devices we use, from smartphones to electric cars, computers, robotics, and the businesses they enable, only function thanks to the intricate chips built on semiconductors. By some estimates, up to 22.5% of global GDP is made up by the global digital economy.

This graphic from ASE Global highlights the complex and global semiconductor supply chain that powers our modern world.

How Important are Semiconductors and Chips?

Fully understanding the importance of semiconductors to the modern world is sometimes tricky, especially when the devices themselves are so small.

But a semiconductor device—also known as an integrated circuit (IC) or chip—actually contains many smaller circuits comprised of millions of transistors, all packed onto a few millimeters of silicon (the semiconductor).

These semiconductor devices allow electronics to make computations, and in essence, function and operate. That makes them vital for modern electronics, with semiconductors being the fourth-most traded product in the world behind crude oil, motor vehicle parts, and refined oil.

Here’s a breakdown of different applications of semiconductor devices by market sizes in 2019:

Semiconductor Applications by Market (2019)Market Size
Smartphone25.3%
Personal Computing20.5%
Servers, Data Centers, (Read more...)

The Global Chip Shortage Impact on American Automakers

by Omri Wallach
This post is by Omri Wallach from Visual Capitalist

Global Chip Shortage Impact Automakers

The Briefing

  • Delays in semiconductor (chip) manufacturing are hitting vehicle production, with more than 1 million vehicles delayed in North America alone.
  • American-based manufacturers Ford, Stellantis and GM are taking the hardest hit, combining for a delay of 855,000 vehicles.
  • Modern cars are built with anywhere between 500-1,500 different chips.

The Global Chip Shortage Impact on American Automakers

Chips, or semiconductor devices, are behind all of the world’s increasingly complex electrical and digital devices.

That includes well-known items like computers and smartphones, but also other products that are becoming “smarter” including appliances, watches, and especially cars.

The automotive industry accounts for a large share of global chip consumption, with modern cars having smart and complex entertainment systems, navigation, and sensors. A modern car can have anywhere from 500-1,500 different chips powering its different functions.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, shifting consumer demands and a slowing economy called for a reduction in semiconductor manufacturing. And unfortunately, it can take the supply chain a long time to come back online, as much as 1.5 years.

American Manufacturers Take the Biggest Hit

As the global economy has started to bounce back and demand for digital devices has increased, the chip manufacturing supply chain has become strained on its still-low supply.

And unfortunately for automakers, cars are taking the brunt of the hit.

ManufacturerModelEstimated Volume Impact (10k+)
FordFord F-Series109,710
StellantisJeep Cherokee98,584
GMChevrolet Equinox81,833
GMChevrolet Malibu56,929
FordFord Explorer46,766
(Read more...)