The Smart Student's Guide to Smart Manufacturing and Industry 4.0

Book excerpt: The most approachable guide to Smart Manufacturing written for laypeople with no background or experience in the industry. How manufacturing has evolved in the United States and how an increased emphasis on domestic manufacturing will result from the COVID19 crisis. This in turn will create career opportunities for those that gain the skills and knowledge needed to operate an Industry 4.0 factory.Chapters detailing specific technologies used to shift the mass production paradigm to one of mass personalization in environmentally friendly factories. These include robotics, augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, MES and ERP software programs, and other Industrial Internet of Things technologies. Job titles, descriptions, and salary ranges are provided. Lists of movies and films that feature the technology are included in each chapter for more relaxed learning.Soft skills are discussed in a chapter as an equally important component for personal success as the hard skills of engineering and software programming.