The problem of cheating exhaust emissions from Volkswagen (VW) has not yet subsided. "Industry 4.0" originating from Germany cannot be immune to it. Through interviews with machinery and equipment manufacturers, the impact of the public scandal on “Industry 4.0†was discovered.
"Machine 4.0" (DMG Mori Seiki), "Passion 4.0 Machine Tools" (Schaeffler, Germany), "Gleason 4.0" (Gleason, USA) - October 5-10, Europe's largest machine tool exhibition " The EMO Exhibition was held in Milan, Italy. Including the Japanese companies, the "4.0" words can be seen everywhere at the exhibition site of more than 1,600 companies around the world.
These slogans are obviously related to the “manufacturing innovation†policy “Industry 4.0†advocated by Germany. The pillar of Industry 4.0 is to implement IoT (Internet of Things) in factories that use sensors and other equipment, and to use data. Therefore, each company has taken the function of monitoring the working condition of the machine tool and predicting the fault in advance as a highlight.
Thanks to 4.0, it is much easier to find a point of entry for business." The German machine manufacturer EMAG staff smiled. He said that consultations from Japan, South Korea and other Asian regions are exploding.
“Reviewing all investmentsâ€
However, contrary to the glamorous exhibition atmosphere, the mechanical manufacturers are actually not practical. Because the German Volkswagen (VW) exposed in mid-September has no signs of subsiding diesel exhaust emissions, it is unclear how much negative impact on machinery and other surrounding industries.
For Volkswagen and the company's component suppliers, freezing equipment investment is inevitable.
“Re-examining all the original investments, it is not absolutely necessary to suspend or postpone the investmentâ€. On October 6th during the show, Matthias Muller, the new CEO of Volkswagen, attended the rally in Wolfsburg, where the headquarters is located, demonstrating this attitude to employees. For a long time, Volkswagen has been actively investing around the world, and if the company withdraws its plan, equipment manufacturers will be hit.
Now, the extent and duration of the impact is still uncertain. The industrial robot tycoon, the staff of KUKA in Germany, said: "The German manufacturing industry is now undoubtedly a cloud." Volkswagen is an important customer for many KUKA, such as KUKA, which supplies robots to the masses, TRUMPF, which produces laser processing machines, and SCHULER, which produces presses.
Among Japanese machinery manufacturers, including DMG Mori Seiki and FANUC, there are also many business cooperation with Volkswagen and its suppliers. The question of the public is definitely not irrelevant.
According to the Japan Machine Tool Industry Association, as of August 2015, the overseas orders of Japanese companies have been lower than the previous year for three consecutive months. This is not only closely related to special factors such as the sudden drop in orders for processing machines for smartphones, but also because of the low infrastructure investment in China and the overcapacity of equipment in the United States.
In a situation of worrying prospects, the mass scandal has invaded the machinery manufacturers all over the world. What is even more worrying is that this problem may put a cold water on the "Industry 4.0".
One of the flag bearers of Industry 4.0, Siemens (SIEMENS), said, "We believe that the activity of Universal 4.0 itself is not directly related to mass emissions cheating." Thomas Rinn of Roland Berger, a German consulting firm, also argued that “(VW) is mainly a 4.0 user, not a supplier, so it will not negatively impact the technical development and overall activities of 4.0. ".
Indeed, the standardization negotiations, which are of great significance to the promotion of Industry 4.0, are still proceeding as planned after the public scandal has been exposed.
IoT's investment effect is difficult to show
However, as a pioneer in the design of vehicle design and production engineering, Volkswagen is indeed a representative "4.0 brand" in Germany. Despite knowing that it is necessary to improve its competitiveness, the public may not be able to continue to invest in 4.0 as it has in the past. Because before the scandal subsides, if you act rashly, it will inevitably be bombarded by shareholders: "There are other things to do." Gleason’s staff is worried: “The German government may also have difficulty promoting the development of 4.0â€.
In extreme cases, “if the overall development of the manufacturing industry is stagnant, the impact will be inevitable†(the staff of Yamazaki Mazak). Software and IoT investments that go hand in hand with Industry 4.0 are not just about redeploying equipment. Driven by the boom in 4.0 in recent years, some companies are planning to update their factory equipment, but in the face of the current situation in which the business environment will continue to deteriorate, "IoT-related investments that are difficult to see for cost-effectiveness are beginning to show signs of not moving." Zach’s staff).
These circumstances indicate that the investment and sales carried out in the trend of the follow-up 4.0 will come to an end sooner or later. Only in order to innovate its own business and factories, companies that really need 4.0 will be prepared step by step.
The next EMO exhibition will be held in 2017. The venue is Hannover, Germany, not far from the Volkswagen headquarters. At that time, how much will be left in the company that screams "4.0"?
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