CIM, Industry 4.0 and the Semantic Web – Drawing on lessons learned from earlier standardisation

Abstract

Standardisation is essential for the successful implementation of Industry 4.0. The path to standardisation should be planned – but it is likely that unexpected obstacles will be met and completely new situations will have to be faced. Is it possible to predict the areas in which the greatest hurdles will have to be overcome? This paper attempts to provide answers by drawing parallels from the standardisation history of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM), which had its origins in the 1980s. It identifies mistakes made in the CIM era and lessons that can be learned for current standardisation work, as well as approaches that can be adopted, and areas where new ground has to be broken.