Smart factories will add 1.5 billion in added value until 2023

Industry 4.0 makes its way through the industry. By 2023, smart factories will bring a productivity gains and will add 1.5 billion in added value to the global GDP, according to the Smart factories scale report, by Capgemini.

In addition to an economic boost, smart factories would improve productivity, increase quality and allow companies to gain market share. The initiative has a strong representation in the market, about 70% of manufacturers are pursuing smart factory goals.

Organizations are increasingly interested in the development of smart factories. In the last two years, factories that are undertaking digital implants have gone from 43% to 68%, according to the document.

China, Germany, and Japan are the top three countries in the smart factory adoption 

Now, the industry plan is to have 40% more smart factories in the next five years and in three years multiply by 1.7 its annual investments in new technologies. Capgemini also notes that 5G technology is going to become a key instrument in this transformation. China, Germany, and Japan are the top three countries in the smart factory adoption, closely followed by South Korea, the United States, and France.

Scalability, the next challenge of the industry

Despite the positive outlook, manufacturers point out in the report that it is difficult to implement and scale these initiatives. Only 14% of those surveyed by Capgemini point out that their current initiatives have been successful, while 60% explain that they are still working to achieve a general implementation.

The two main challenges to achieve implementation and scalability in the industry are the convergence between information technology (IT) and operations technology systems (OT). These digital technologies will also enable IT-OT convergence to support end-to-end digital continuity from design to operations (digital twin). 

“What will make the difference will be cybersecurity, interactions in real time and the interfaces that integrate virtual and physical, to take advantage of the potential of smart factories, organizations must design and implement a specific government program and develop a culture of data-based operations, ” says Jean-Pierre Petit, group leader for digital manufacturing of Capgemini.