What Is Industry 5.0?

Although many of us are still getting to grips with Industry 4.0 – or the Fourth Industrial Revolution – a new term is already appearing. Industry 5.0 isn’t introducing any radical new form of technology, as happened in previous industrial revolutions. Instead, it’s a term applied to the harnessing of Industry 4.0 technologies to incorporate the human element into industrial development and make it more ethical. What Industry 5.0 aims to achieve is the integration of societal values like reducing waste and ethical sourcing, reuse of materials and the circular economy 

The term ‘industrial revolution’ appeared for the first time considerably after the event, which people just experienced as a gradually increasing disruption to their existing way of life. In the first one, production changed from small-scale handcrafted goods to larger-scale manufacturing of machine-made items. In the second, mechanical machinery was advanced by the introduction of electricity and mass production, while the third saw the 20th-century phenomena of computers and electronics. The fourth industrial revolution differed from the third in that it introduced the power of digital technologies. It brought smart technologies like AI, robotics, automation, digital twins and the virtual industrial world. We became familiar with the Internet of Things (IoT) and its associate, the Industrial IoT. 

An Industrial Revolution For People

Industry 5.0 demonstrates a promising development in industrialisation where the drive to exploit resources purely for profit could evolve into more human endeavour. Many companies now recognise that the former model is causing the gradual destruction of the earth’s substance. This fifth revolution aims to prioritise human beings over profits, with a greater focus on sustainability and increased resilience. The European Union characterises it as a way to extend industry beyond the capitalist goals of productivity and efficiency. 

This prioritising of societal values marks an important departure from previous industrial strategies and moves it towards a more holistic perspective. Similar strategies have been explored before, such as focussing on corporate social responsibility, with greater or lesser degrees of success. The concepts of Industry 5.0 are innovative and – some might say – idealistic, but their goal is to put people and the planet before profit. What makes it even more comprehensive is that it extends to all types of organisations and a broad range of business strategies. The European Union hopes that this strategy will see a rare historical reverse, redefining the industry’s fundamental objectives, and has set up a Community of Practice and an Industry 5.0 Award to promote it. 

Implementing Industry 5.0

Each of the preceding industrial revolutions was driven by a disruptive new technology, starting with the steam engine that introduced powered machinery to manufacturing. Mass production and the assembly line symbolised efficiency, while computers enhanced the speed of processing to unprecedented levels. Industry 4.0 brought us the intelligent technologies on which the developments of Industry 5.0 are founded, which will integrate human well-being with stronger human-robot collaboration.

Industry 5.0, as it is proposed, relies on three key principles: sustainability, resilience and a focus on people.

Sustainability

Industry 5.0 sees businesses becoming more sustainable through a number of initiatives to minimise the environmental impact that comprises the circular economy. This means reducing greenhouse emissions, energy consumption and waste generation. Natural resources should be preserved and, if possible, renewed.

Resilience

For the industry to be resilient, its production processes must be extremely robust, agile, protected against disruptions and able to maintain critical infrastructure in a crisis. The pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities of supply chains, and these need to be solved and, if possible, eliminated.

Focus On People

A human-centric approach puts people’s needs in the vanguard of production processes. Instead of deciding how workers can exploit new technologies, Industry 5.0 explores how innovative technologies can benefit workers. It combines the precision performance of robots with human critical and creative abilities to deliver more people-focussed results. 

Industry 5.0 Technologies

Several technologies are ideally tailored for the intricate systems that support the 5.0 initiatives, including blockchain, the anticipated 6G network, smart manufacturing and the IIoT. All these factors play a role in speeding up communications, making them more secure and reducing the overall amount of network traffic. They’ll make systems more reliable and efficient, leveraging the power of machine learning and big data analytics. 

The goal is to streamline production processes, optimise sustainability and waste management, plus reduce operating costs. Integrating these technologies will bring lasting benefits that complement the core values of Industry 5.0. These include substantial energy savings, better attraction and retention of workforce talent, enhanced resilience and greater awareness of environmental impacts. 

• Saving energy and conserving resources is critical to the health of our planet, and Industry 5.0 will leverage the abilities of AI and big data management to use resources more effectively. It will integrate more sustainable practices, especially in industries that are traditionally more energy and resource-intensive. This will, in turn, give businesses a greater appeal to consumers, employees, and potential investors, as they perceive environmental sustainability as running in harmony with economic performance.

• With the rapid advance of new industrial technologies, companies are finding it increasingly difficult to attract and retain a sufficiently skilled and talented workforce. The goal of Industry 5.0 is to provide a more engaging and progressive work environment. Instead of humans being assigned merely to manage machine operations, the more human-centric approach will foster their creativity and ingenuity. This will result in greater employee loyalty and satisfaction.

• Integrating 5.0 technologies with its people-focused ideology will reinforce awareness of the industry’s impact on the environment. Recent years have demonstrated how easy it is for traditional economic systems to be impacted by radical disruptions. The global pandemic, trade wars and climatic devastation have highlighted the need for greater agility and resilience.

Industry 4.0 laid the foundations of an automated industry powered by IT. The next phase will see greater collaboration between advanced technologies and humans – for example, by optimising workplace processes with AI-driven robots. Unlike its predecessor, Industry 5.0 looks to leverage new technologies to promote prosperity beyond merely economic growth and job creation. The future of industry in society is to focus on worker well-being as a key element in the production process and to respect the limits of global exploitation.