b'VisionaryJourneyPart manufacturers can reap significant benefits by weaving a digital thread through their plants but face potential pitfalls.By Alan Richter strategist for Bosch Rexroth Corp. in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.E ffective communication always has beenThe corporation worked with other compa-critical to running a successful manufac- nies to develop OPC Unified Architecture, a turing operation. As part manufacturers startmachine language for Industry 4.0 that stan-and continue down the Industry 4.0 path, shopdardizes access to devices and systems and managers and personnel are not the only onesenables manufacturer-independent data ex-who must speak with each other. Humans andchange.machines need to communicate too, and ma- As manufacturing facilities adopt Industry chines must have conversations as well. 4.0 technologies and become smarter in the Machines talk to each other in a seamlessprocess, they also become more fluid.fashion using open standards and commonThe main concept for the factory of the protocols, said Matteo Dariol, lead innovationfuture is that the only fixed things in the 14AUGUST 2021Indy40.indd 14 7/19/21 10:56 AM'