On July 13-16, Cummins Inc. officially launched its Manufacturing Industry 4.0 strategy with its first-annual Industry 4.0 Virtual Symposium. Over the course of four days, the company hosted 17 sessions introducing Cummins’ Industry 4.0 strategy; providing overviews and demonstrations of the latest technology and automation solutions, including digital twin, 3D printing and more; and invited all attendees to get involved.

The symposium began with a keynote presentation featuring Tim Millwood, Vice President of Global Manufacturing for Cummins, and Rachel Lecrone, Director of Manufacturing Systems for Cummins, who discussed Cummins’ Industry 4.0 strategy and its progress to date. They were also joined by Dr. Michael Salmen, Head of Digitalization for Daimler Truck Powertrain, and Eric Porschatis, Head of Techlab Digitalization Gaggenau, to discuss how Daimler Truck, a critical customer to Cummins, is thinking about and deploying its Industry 4.0 strategy – for which there was a lot of alignment.

To better understand the Cummins Industry 4.0 strategy, Millwood spent time breaking down the six core elements that make up Cummins’ Industry 4.0 strategy in manufacturing and the initiatives being deployed across the company’s manufacturing network globally. The six elements are outlined below.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) – Cummins is using IIOT to connect its equipment, systems and people, enabling the company to learn from its equipment and improve operational processes.

Advanced Technologies – Cummins is adopting exciting new technologies to improve process design and performance; technologies like collaborative robots and automation, 3D printing, augmented and virtual reality, and more.

Enterprise Manufacturing Data Hub – Cummins is creating a manufacturing data hub allowing the company to look across systems, plants and products to gain greater insights into their products and processes, and solve problems more quickly.

Standard Core Systems – Cummins is leveraging the core technology systems in its plants to streamline and improve safety, quality and productivity.

Secure, Reliable Networks – Cummins is building wireless networks that provide enhanced security and reliability, both within individual sites and across its global network, ensuring plants continue to run smoothly, no matter where in the world Cummins employees are.

People – Cummins is supporting its most important asset, so Cummins employees can do their jobs to the best of their abilities through state-of-the-art tools, ongoing training and education, enhanced career opportunities/paths, recruiting new talent to support teams, and more.

Throughout the symposium, subject matter experts from across Cummins hosted immersive and educational sessions on topics ranging across all six elements above. Sessions were hosted on topics such as advanced analytics, digital twin in manufacturing, Microsoft Teams and frontline employee communications, binder jet metal 3D printing, Quality 4.0 and the OneQuality Transformation, augmented reality and virtual reality, emerging technologies for health, safety, environmental (HSE) applications, artificial intelligence-powered vision inspection, IIOT and more.

Cummins is creating the future, today; by advancing how they work, re-imaging how they manufacture in a digital world and taking their operational capabilities to the next level.