Whether you’re holding a Fluke meter or not, measurement is a part of everyday life. In many ways, precision measurement is more a part of our lives than we’re aware of. From atomic clocks and precision satellites communicating to offer reliable GPS in your car or on your phone, even down to the phone itself. The science of measurement keeps our every day running, but it also plays a large role in industrial measurement, asset maintenance, and the future of factories.
Era of digital transformation
Many experts have dubbed the era we’re currently living through as our fourth industrial revolution, or industry 4.0.
| Industrial revolution | Year | Defining invention of the revolution |
| 1st | 1765 | Steam engines |
| 2nd | 1870 | Electricity and mass production |
| 3rd | 1970 | Robotics |
| 4th | 2000 | Internet and IoT |
The first industrial revolution was the application of steam engines to make work easier and begin automating some of it. The second was the electrification of those machines to further push progress; this also included adding electricity into daily lives. The third industrial revolution was robotics, including the use of robotics in factories to complete tasks and move items around. The fourth industrial revolution is the addition of the internet and computers to tie everything together.
Smart factories
Industry 4.0 is also seeing advancements in smart instruments and supply chain processes around the world. Factories will automatically be notified of an order and when the work to create the order begins, the factory equipment and tools will know exactly what amounts of material will be needed to complete your specification. It will all be part of the process to meet the increased demand of the time.
In order for all of these new processes to work, advanced, precise measurements will be taking place constantly across the smart factory. Sensors will be measuring devices to build products to exact specifications.
Even assets will be taking measurements. Smart factories adopt cloud-enabled assets and devices across a plant that can monitor their own condition and report it back. This auto-condition monitoring can use computer-based algorithms to exchange data using the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). These assets record trends, establish baselines, even create notifications of issues or unexpected wear and tear through interconnectivity, alerting you to necessary repairs before they cause unexpected shutdowns.
The power of measurement
At work or in our everyday lives, the science of measurement plays a huge part in our current lives and our future. Precise measurements and metrology are leading the way toward the future of measurement , and what our factories and how industrial measurements will continue to evolve throughout the fourth industrial revolution.