For quite some time a certain term is appearing constantly in politics and the media: Industry 4.0. Some talk about the fourth industrial revolution, but despite of the hype surrounding the term, lots of different ideas exist about its actual meaning. To put it briefly, the term is referring to an initiative of the German government targeting on the digitalization of the German industry. By means of digital applications in production, efficiency should be increased and products should be adapted individually. This is where two other terms come into play which are discussed often these days: the Internet of Things and Big Data. Connected production plants create a huge amount of data which needs to be managed and used. Industry 4.0, Internet of Things and Big Data are mutually dependent and require efficient IT solutions.

According to a trend survey of the IT branch association, Bitkom Industry 4.0 is the “climber of the year 2015”. Smart factory is ranked among the top 5 high-tech topics and currently has the biggest dynamism. With a respondent rate of 42 percent Industry 4.0 is the biggest improver. Last year the topic was only placed number ten with a respondent rate of 22 percent.

So the topic also plays an important role for our clients and raises the question for us as a PR agency of how Industry 4.0 can be communicated in the best way. How can you explain a topic which is not real everywhere yet, which is understood differently and where lots of prejudices and concerns exist? Based on our experience we have collected three important tips. This is how we realize a successful communication of the term for our clients.

1. Concrete concepts instead of abstract descriptions
As mentioned earlier there is no such thing as the right definition of the concept of Industry 4.0. Every company uses its own interpretation. That is why you have to concentrate on the particular client’s concept and how it affects the solutions, technologies or working structures. As an example, our client Rockwell Automation uses the concept of the Connected Enterprise and follows a model with five stages. This is the material we use for our communication approach – we describe in detail how and with what kind of solutions Rockwell Automation realizes the concept. In this way, editors and readers get a clear idea of the term and its meaning for the company.

2. Use models and infographics
Using models and infographics facilitates the approach to Industry 4.0. If you follow a certain structure, like a blueprint, the multiple layers of the concept become more obvious and the idea gets more real. This effect increases by using pictorial representations like infographics. Those are also used frequently for internal communication within the company because in this way illustrating the meaning of the concept for staff members gets easier and you can outline which possibilities the concept offers for the company.

3. The big picture
Our experience is that the development now described with the term Industry 4.0 has already been pursuit in the industrial sector for a long time. That is why we can now use real examples and application stories for communication. In this way, we are capable to show the big picture behind the term and make it less abstract.