Industry 4.0 - Shaping the fourth industrial revolution

It takes more than 20 steps—from the raw material to the finished component—just to manufacture the vertical stabilizer of an Airbus A350. However, a great deal can go wrong within those 20 production steps. The consequences of production errors, in turn, can be devastating—both for the company itself and for the environment. So how can errors be reliably prevented in multi-step production processes?

Three times already, technical innovations have led to revolutionary changes in industrial production: the first time through the steam engine, the second time through the electric motor, and the third time through the computer-controlled machine. Now, with the ability to digitally network individual production machines, the fourth wave of the industrial revolution is upon us.

Sebastian Scholz is a professor in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology at the Zittau location. In the video, he explains how communication between sensors, workpieces, and machines in a “smart factory” prevents production errors—ideally without any human intervention or interruption to production.

“We already have the foundation for Industry 4.0,” Sebastian Scholz notes, pointing to high-speed internet and high-performance processors. But then he adds: “We are still a long way from realizing the full potential of Industry 4.0.” After all, this requires, above all, bright minds behind the machines and a passion for future technologies.

In short: The Fourth Industrial Revolution needs you! Lay the foundation for your successful career as an engineer by studying mechanical engineering at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. Sebastian Scholz invites you to help shape an important part of the future and make industrial history. After all, your future belongs to you—so come to Zittau and study here!