The '4th industrial revolution' - aka Industry 4.0 - is set to move industry into a period of greater automation, integrated control systems and generally bring the latest technology into factories and industry.
Next week there's a UK event designed for those grappling with, and interested in, the concept. The Industry 4.0 Summit is co-located with the 'Factories of the Future' event with both running over 4-5 April 2017 in Manchester.
Over 3,000 visitors are expected to the Factories of the Future event from the manufacturing industry, including aerospace, automotive, marine, construction, energy, metal components, parts manufacture and others.
According to the event organisers, 83% of UK manufacturers are planning to invest in automation and control systems in the future, but only 48% of manufacturers across Europe consider themselves ready for the future.
A report from Accenture reckoned that the UK alone could benefit up to $531 billion from an industrial-scale version of Industry 4.0, and that would add $14.2 trillion to the world economy over the next 15 years.
Read more about Industry 4.0 and the events in questions here.
