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w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g . c o m November 2020 • /INSIGHT ON MANUFACTURING | 29 ACCESS A FULL-SUITE OF GLOBAL LOGISTICS SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS Green Bay, WI Offi ce green_bay@chrobinson.com 115-5 Pine Street, Green Bay, WI 54301 866-281-4864 | www.chrobinson.com ©2019 C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. All rights reserved. be outfitted with alarms and controls for runtime, flow rate and temperature, and water softener systems can alert suppliers when it's time to deliver a customer more salt. 4. Augmented reality AR can be put to powerful use in applications like employee training, factory servicing and troubleshooting from afar. Using AR as an employee training tool provides a cost-effective and powerful means to train and educate workers. Integrating AR into training has been shown to create more effective outcomes as well as leading to productivity improvements and elevated employee retention rates. When it comes to remote servicing, AR can allow technicians to respond to problems effectively and quickly, all while cutting down on the time and environmental impact of traveling to a location to perform the same task. Considering implementing Industry 4.0 solutions may seem daunting at first. Creating a five- year strategic plan is a good place to begin. Goals should include gathering real-time data for AI analysis, creating real-time customer and supplier dashboards, and implementing AR tools. By 2030, companies should target a 40 percent increase in productivity per employee using automation and technology. W. Kent Lorenz is retired chairman and CEO of Acieta LLC, a provider of advanced industrial robotic automation systems for manufacturers. He was honored with a Distinguished Achievement Award from UW- Madison's College of Engineering for his work in industrial robotics and with high school students. Lorenz serves on the board of directors of First Business Financial Services, Inc. and the advisory boards of OwnersEdge, Essential Industries and Itasca Automation, as well as acting as an adviser to two startup companies. F