Industry 4.0 is the hottest trend to hit the manufacturing world since the Toyota Production System started to transform assembly lines two decades ago. Although most of the talk about digital production systems and smart factories involves things such as augmented reality, collaborative robots or data analytics, conveyors play an equally important role.

Walk into any modern assembly and packaging facility, and the conveyor systems may very well resemble roller coasters at an amusement park—going up steep inclines, moving down drops, and twisting and turning around equipment and machinery as they transfer product from one area of the plant to another.

Getting the right parts, to the right spot, at the right time is a requirement for any assembly line.

This year marks the centennial of the moving assembly line.

High-tech entertainment electronics—from diminutive MP3 players to large LED screens—are what Blusens Global Corp. manufactures on its new automated assembly line.