The first industrial revolution used steam to increase productivity. The second introduced electricity to the mix. The third brought IT systems into the fold. Now that we’re well into the fourth, what has been the single biggest introduction? It’s debatable, but you wouldn’t be far wrong if you said ‘connectivity’. The last two decades especially have seen rapid advances in network technologies. What these advances allow is the true implementation of the internet of things (IoT) and the industrial internet of things (IIoT). Devices can talk to each other. Devices can talk to unified digital platforms. And unified digital platforms can talk to globally reaching cloud infrastructures. With 5G networking and WiFi 6/7 enabling larger packets of data to be shared faster, this is all happening in near-real time. In this ebook, we want to examine how connectivity, in all its forms, can help revolutionise businesses across the manufacturing spectrum. We’ll be examining this idea through the lens of our four core pillars; scalability, usability, sustainability, and affordability.We hope you enjoy this read, and if it prompts any questions, we’ll provide all our contact details towards the back of the book. All the best Team Atlas Introduction Connectivity in modern manufacturing SHOP FLOOR CONNECTIVITY ACROSS YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN