The fourth industrial revolution – the revolution that ushered in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Internet of Services (IoS) – has come to be known as Industry 4.0. The initial goals of Industry 4.0 typically have been automation, manufacturing process improvement and productivity/production optimization. The more advanced goals are innovation and the transition to new business models and revenue sources using information technologies and services as cornerstones.

By saving time, effort and money, remote diagnostics had already begun to transform industry long before COVID-19. Social distancing and restrictions on travel have simply reinforced their importance and value. This article looks at what this means for the die-casting industry in particular and shares a vision of a digital future.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has moved from nice to have to operationally critical. Using IoT to automate tasks can improve workforce efficiency, better utilize assets and predict possible failures before they disrupt operations. Yet some organizations face missing out on these IoT benefits because they are unable to on-board tools that help action IoT data.

This issue begins a new year, and it brings us a little closer to technologies in our future.

If you watch the news, you would never know we are on the front end of one of the largest economic​​ booms in our history. The real numbers no one talks about show the economic expansion will last through the end of the 2030s.

The HC Series is a standard set of rotary furnaces that are configured to order and available in a number of variations, dependent on specifications for temperature, tube length, heated length, diameter and number of zones.

The world is going crazy for connected devices (IoT) – nearly 25 million smart speakers were sold last year, with about 11 million moved in the holiday season alone.

With Furnaces North America on the horizon, our thoughts turn to making connections or renewing relationships. We encourage you to make your reservations now.

My first two columns in 2018 focused on the 10 key emerging technologies being used to disrupt every industry and the five elements of the Internet of Things (IoT) every manufacturer needs to leverage to maximize production and minimize costs. Now I want to share with you why paying close attention to the shifts in technology and tapping into IoT is so important.

Each month, new advances in automation are taking shape that will create opportunity or eliminate your heat-treat company's business model.