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Case Study

Industry 4.0: The hard reality in business to business

By Carlos Cordon and Teresa Ferreiro Vilarino

18 pages

May 2016

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Reference: IMD-7-1784

Industry 4.0 is impacting companies at many different levels. New technology, robots and communications are taking manufacturing through a full restructuring process. Today, many of the promises that Industry 4.0 – also referred to as the industrial internet – may still sound unrealistic and distant. Executives and business consultants talk about its potential as something that is about to happen. But has it really started? Indeed, Industry 4.0 is no longer the future. Some organizations are already transforming their processes to adapt to the new digital reality that the industrial internet is bringing with it. The process may not always be painless but it offers countless benefits that make it worthwhile. This technical note provides a compilation of leading-edge initiatives that may show us the path forward.

Learning Objective

To understand how Industry 4.0 is transforming organizations. The note identifies four main drivers of what is also called the fourth industrial revolution (Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and 3D printing) and uses real examples of business-to –business companies to illustrate what is already happening.

Keywords

Digital Revolution, Robotics, 3D Printing, Artificial Intelligence, Business to Business, Industrial Internet, Industry 4.0

Settings

World/global
Business Management Services, Business Services

Type

Published Sources

Available Languages

English

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Case reference: IMD-2707 ©2026

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Reference IMD-2707

Organization SF Technology

Industry Manufacturing, Technology

Available Languages English

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