Bosch has seen a significant uplift of its Industry 4.0 related sales, up a quarter on 2019 to reach €750 million (2018: €600).
Bosch - soon to exhibit at the debut Hannover Messe Digital Days - has been digitalising manufacturing and logistics since 2012 in its own plants and in those of its customers. The firm said it can boost productivity by up to 25% and added that the industrial 'internet of things' makes companies more resilient, robust and crisis-proof. Industry 4.0 helps monitor the use and condition of individual machines and provides transparency in the supply chain, Bosch added.
5G is considered "the way forward" by the global player, meeting the tough requirements of manufacturing and wireless "critical communication" for the first time. Bosch's first 5G-capable products are now entering the market.
Bosch also participates in "cross-industry" projects such as the GAIA-X European Data Infrastructure, which aims to create an open, digital ecosystem to help companies share data and scale business models worldwide, underpinned by jointly defined rules and standards.
Employment is a challenge in Industry 4.0, with a lack of qualified personnel, reckons Bosch, which has set up a wide-reaching programme of training and professional development, including 200 training sessions, courses and programmes specific to Industry 4.0.
Industry 4.0 is also helping Bosch towards its climate-neutral by the end of 2020 target. Bosch Climate Solutions draws on Industry 4.0 learnings and products, with the aim of its 400 worldwide locations no longer having a carbon footprint.
Bosch will have a significant presence at the Hannover Messe Digital Days, which run this week, 14-15 July 2020. www.hannovermesse.de
