Profiting from Industry 4.0

Manufacturing is in the midst of a revolution. Whole supply chains are becoming visible. Innovation is speeding up and becoming more open. Data is being shared and value is being created in real time. Potentially, performance can be transformed and new markets created, either by existing players or disruptive ventures. For all the excitement of the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0, the risks are too often overlooked. Like other digital markets, value can just flow to the top, leading everyone else to struggle as commodities. Manufacturers can adopt all the technologies, but still find themselves falling back, as many now are. Their challenge is to start playing by the new digital rules and capture the value in their performance. This book, written by a leading expert and practitioner in Industry 4.0, gives those on the manufacturing frontline a set of tools, templates and guidelines to start gaining a technology advantage and taking a commercial lead. Based on a comprehensive review of how manufacturing contracts are currently being written and negotiated, it highlights the questions for manufacturers to ask and reviews their options for managing innovation, designing business models, managing intellectual property and gaining a lasting source of competitive advantage.