In the nautical disaster movie, “The Perfect Storm,” three weather fronts converge off the coast of New England to create one of the fiercest storms in U.S. history. A similar convergence is occurring in the manufacturing world today. It’s called Industry 4.0 and it promises to transform the way that engineers design and build products over the next two decades.

DETROIT—Working with robotics manufacturer FANUC, networking giant Cisco, and hardware maker Rockwell Automation, GM has installed a “mother brain” at its Lake Orion assembly plant. The system accepts data flowing to and from robots, conveyors, temperature sensors and other devices and sends that information to a cloud network. That enables plant managers and supplier technicians to monitor assembly technology and prevent mishaps.

NEW YORK—The Internet of Things is changing manufacturing as we know it. Factories and plants that are connected to the Internet are more efficient, productive and smarter than their non-connected counterparts.