CAR Launches Research Exploring the Auto Industry 4.0

The Center for Automotive Research has a new consortium-based research initiative, Auto 20/20: The State of Industry 4.0, to investigate the current business and propose recommendations for a path towards successful Industry 4.0 implementation. Auto 20/20 will chart a course for the 4th Industrial Revolution in the automotive industry by providing industry stakeholders a strategic understanding of the real-world challenges and opportunities in implementing Industry 4.0 initiatives.

CAR has assembled a consortium of funding firms, targeting partners representing critical aspects of the Industry 4.0 ecosystem, including hardware, data management, digital solutions, consulting, and cloud infrastructure. Accenture, Cloudera, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, PTC, and Rockwell Automation are founding partners of this consortium.

Independently, each of these companies could provide critical insights into “their slice of the Industry 4.0 puzzle,” says CAR. “Working together, they will provide CAR researchers with broad-based, ‘ecosystem oriented’ insights in investigating automotive Industry 4.0 challenges and opportunities.”

Stated Goals

1. We will provide a comprehensive description of what is currently encompassed by the term Industry 4.0.
2. We will interview key Automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers to understand their current and planned Industry 4.0 experiences and will drill down to challenges encountered in the areas of people(e.g., skills, capabilities, availability), process (e.g., digital and manufacturing transformation) and technology(e.g., IoT, automation, big data).
3. Finally, We will provide a set of recommendations for developing an effective strategy to achieve competitive leadership in modern manufacturing.

The project will also include an investigation into the financial investment and expectations for associated return on investment for companies implementing Industry 4.0 strategies. Project results will be highlighted during the virtual CAR Management Briefing Seminars August 4 -5, 2020 and at Roundtable meetings throughout the third quarter of 2020.