"Industrial Internet" U.S. Industrial 4.0 Focus on "Soft" Strength

In the United States, the concept of "industrial 4.0" is more replaced by "industrial Internet". Although they are called different, the basic idea of the two concepts is the same, that is, to connect virtual networks with entities to form a more efficient production system.

From a policy perspective, the US government has upgraded the development of advanced manufacturing to a national strategy after the financial crisis, hoping to reshape the manufacturing industry with new and revolutionary production methods. From the industry level, the formation of the industry organization Industrial Internet Alliance announced the clarion call for the business community to enter the era of industrial 4.0. Different from the "hard" manufacturing emphasized by Germany, the United States, which has a developed software and Internet economy, focuses more on promoting a new round of industrial revolution in "soft" services, hoping to use the Internet to activate traditional industries and maintain the long-term competitiveness of the manufacturing industry.

Government strategy to drive innovation

In order to cope with the new technological industrial revolution and compete for the right to speak in international industrial competition, the United States will revitalize the manufacturing industry as its top priority in recent years. After the financial crisis, the US government issued a series of bills to focus on the construction of manufacturing innovation research centers, hoping to transform traditional manufacturing with high and new technology, and promote the US economy to embark on the road of sustainable growth again.

In April 2009, Obama, who had just become president of the United States, delivered a speech, proposing to revitalize the manufacturing industry as a major strategy for the long-term development of the US economy. In December of the same year, the U.S. government issued the "Framework for reviving American Manufacturing", which analyzed in detail the theoretical basis and advantages of reviving the manufacturing industry, and became the strategic guide for the development of the manufacturing industry in the United States. Subsequently, the Obama administration gradually expanded from the strategic layout, development path to specific measures, and completed the deployment of the manufacturing innovation plan.

In June 2011, the United States officially launched the "Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Program" to accelerate the commanding heights of advanced manufacturing in the 21st century. In February 2012, the "Advanced Manufacturing National Strategic Plan" was further launched to encourage manufacturing companies to return to the United States through active policies. The above plan includes two main lines, one is to adjust and enhance the structure and competitiveness of traditional manufacturing industry, and the other is to develop high-tech industries. It is proposed to develop advanced digital manufacturing technologies, including advanced production technology platform, advanced manufacturing technology and design and data infrastructure.

In March 2012, Obama proposed for the first time to build a "National Manufacturing Innovation Network", establish up to 45 research centers, and strengthen the organic integration of production, education and research between universities and manufacturing companies. In January 2013, the Executive Office of the President of the United States, the National Science and Technology Commission, and the National Project Office of High-end Manufacturing jointly issued the Preliminary Design of the National Manufacturing Innovation Network, and invested US $1 billion million to establish the U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Network (NNMI) to focus on promoting The innovative development of advanced manufacturing industries such as digital manufacturing, new energy and new material applications, and create a number of innovation clusters with advanced manufacturing capabilities.

The key research areas of this innovation network include: developing lightweight materials such as carbon fiber composites to improve the fuel efficiency, performance and corrosion resistance of next-generation vehicles such as automobiles, airplanes, trains and ships; improving the relevant standards, materials and equipment of 3D printing technology to realize low-cost and small-batch production using digital design; creating frameworks and methods for intelligent manufacturing, it allows production operators to master the "big data stream" from the digital factory in real time to improve production efficiency, optimize the supply chain, and improve the efficiency of energy, water and materials.

Over the past two years, the above-mentioned planning has been gradually carried out. In August 2012, the U.S. government and the private sector jointly funded the $85 million National Institute for 3D Printer Manufacturing Innovation ". In May 2013, the U.S. government announced $0.2 billion in federal funding to establish three manufacturing innovation centers, the Light and Contemporary Metal Manufacturing Innovation Institute, the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute, and the Next Generation Power Electronics Manufacturing Institute. In February this year, a composite materials manufacturing center was established.

According to the "Global Advanced Manufacturing Trends Report" released by the Wilson Center, a US think tank, the US has the largest R & D investment in the world, of which 3/4 is invested in manufacturing, and has obvious advantages in advanced manufacturing fields such as synthetic biology, advanced materials and rapid prototyping manufacturing. Analysts believe that with the strong promotion of the government and the private sector, the United States is likely to have a new wave of technological innovation marked by the full coverage of wireless network technology, the extensive use of cloud computing and the large-scale development of intelligent manufacturing.

Industry alliance breaks through technical barriers

Different from the "hard" manufacturing emphasized by the German industrial 4.0, the United States, which has a developed software and Internet economy, focuses more on promoting a new round of industrial revolution in "soft" services, hoping to use the power of the network and data to enhance the value creation ability of the entire industry. It can be said that the American version of the industrial 4.0 is actually the "industrial Internet" revolution. In this process, in addition to the policy support of the US government, the first formation of industry alliances has become an important driving force for development.

The concept of "Industrial Internet" was first proposed by General Electric in 2012, and then five leading companies in the United States jointly formed the Industrial Internet Alliance (IIC) to vigorously promote this concept. In addition to manufacturing giants such as General Electric, IT companies such as IBM, Cisco, Intel and AT&T have joined the alliance.

The Industrial Internet Consortium uses an open membership system and is committed to developing a "common blueprint" that enables data sharing between various manufacturers' devices. The standards of the blueprint not only involve Internet network protocols, but also include indicators such as the storage capacity of data in IT systems, the power size of interconnected and non-interconnected devices, and data traffic control. The aim is to better promote the integration of the physical and digital worlds by developing common standards, breaking down technical barriers and using the Internet to activate traditional industrial processes.

Although the establishment and final approval of the above standards may take several years, once these standards are established, they will help hardware and software developers create products that are fully compatible with the Internet of Things. The end result may be the realization of sensors, networks, computers, The full integration of cloud computing systems, large enterprises, vehicles and hundreds of other types of entities promotes the overall efficiency of the entire industrial chain. (Yang Bo)