Are you ready for tomorrow?
Last week’s ACHEMA 2018 in Frankfurt set out a manifesto for Industry 4.0.
Industry 4.0 has become firmly established during the last few years, and today’s industrial landscape would be unthinkable without the multidimensional aspects of digitalization.
Keywords like smart factory, predictive maintenance, artificial intelligence, plant security and chatbots meanwhile dominate the economy and are driving research and development worldwide.
The latest representative Bitkom survey provides impressive confirmation: IoT platforms are paramount for Industry 4.0. Four out of ten companies already admit to using an IoT platform.
Do you have an affinity for all of these emerging high-tech trends?
If you want to maintain your strong position in the competitive markets of the twenty-first century, digitalization is something you can’t afford to ignore.
Plant security lays the foundation
After all, digitalization offers big opportunities for industry. That’s why a stable foundation is all the more important for your plant.
Against this background, network and system security is a key factor in industrial process control systems. We at Yokogawa operate a holistic 360° concept, based on the most advanced technologies, for this sensitive area. Our approach centers around constant learning – throughout the complete cycle yet paying equal attention to depth. We define plant security as “adapt, consolidate, modernize” – continuously, of course, and again and again.
To take just one example, we perform regular “plan-do-check-act” cycles as prescribed in IEC 62443 as a way to ensure continuous, lifelong protection. The fact that our solutions can be implemented in both new and existing systems is a particular advantage here.
You must adjust your infrastructure to the necessary security assurance level (SAL) in order to leverage smart, digital technologies. The McKinsey study “Solving the productivity puzzle: The role of demand and the promise of digitization” (February 2018) predicts that companies could grow their productivity by 2 percent a year – assuming they increase their use of digital technologies and infrastructure, that is.
“Can-do” mentality – don’t just talk about it, get on and do it
One thing is certain: the present infrastructure must be given a good overhaul in the future. Without a doubt, investments in a higher security level will be unavoidable.
Your company’s own future will otherwise be at stake in several respects, for instance because your critical assets will be a relatively easy target for cyber attacks, whether known or unforeseen. In terms of business figures, the resulting lost production would be alarming, to say the least.
Don’t put a brake on innovations and technological advances! Sustainable corporate development is the better strategy by far.
Digital champions, sovereignty & (r)evolution
Why not become a digital champion – by employing state-of-the-art technologies to achieve higher efficiency, preserving your digital sovereignty and effectively protecting sensitive data and information assets? And, in doing so, improve your chances of surviving the digital (r)evolution, of course. Darwin sends his regards: it’s not the strongest of the species nor the most intelligent that survives. It’s the one that is most adaptable to change
My personal view is that the digital transformation is without question a huge opportunity for all of us. Whatever happens, the market will continue to evolve dramatically in the next few years.
My recommendation is therefore to shift your mindset to DIGITAL. Be curious and show an interest in everything digitalization implies – cutting-edge business models, innovative payment models and agile corporate structures, to name but three examples. Significant demand for a whole series of competencies – such as big data expertise, emphatic communication and a sound knowledge of compliance – is waiting to be unlocked.
It’s a simple truth: plant security is anything but an obstacle on the path to digitalization. On the contrary: for companies wanting to stay plugged in tomorrow, it’s a must!
You’re probably now asking where is the best place to start. Please don’t hesitate to contact us: we’d be delighted to develop a made-to-measure 360° security concept for you featuring state-of-the-art technologies in line with international standards. And help you profit from the wealth of opportunities arising from the digital transformation.
