| |JULY 202019AUTOMAKERS POST-LOCKDOWN TRANSITION TO INDUSTRY 4.0Thought CentralBy Sukhdeep Sandhu, Passive Safety &Sensorics Business Unit, Continental Automotive Components India Pvt. LtdT he global automotive industry is reeling under the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. Though a lot of companies are looking for-ward to resuming the operations, regulatory uncertainties, labor shortage, and growing con-cerns about health will remain a point of concern to ramp up efficientlyThe automotive industry,on the other hand, is facing a slowdown as compared to the previous decade. This will result in a reduction in margins and additional pressure on various cost elements. If you observe the trend, manufacturing advance-ments are one of the vital aspects influencing the industry growth,positively stimulating the econ-omy by attaining significant productivity and cost improvements.Thanks to the technological shift over the past two decades, including the introduction and evolution of Industry 4.0 technologies. The in-dustry is no win a better position to handle these challenging times. It is important to note that In-dustry 4.0 is not just about upgradation of techni-cal, automotive advancements, and data protec-tion. It is also about the stability and security of workers and industrial assets. The usage of large data applications, collab-orative robots, and automated transport robots has increased as companies begin to implement the 4.0 practices and technologies in their plants. Implementation of Augmented Reality (AR) for remote assistance and problem-solving, AI for facial detection of quality inspectors, Auto-mated Guided Vehicle (AGV) for material move-ment on the shop floor, and Cobots to undertake repetitive tasks is becoming prevalent.INDUSTRY 4.0In simpler terms, Industry 4.0 is to reinvent industrial processes to boost efficiency, pro-ductivity, optimize costs, and provide value to customers,among others, by using advanced technologies. The evolution of industry 4.0 has inspired the industry to be more compet-itive and innovative, thus contributing to the manufacturing value chain. ADOPTING VIRTUAL WORKPLACEThe automotive industry features vast process Sukhdeep Sandhu
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