Medical device manufacturers face unique challenges in terms of product mix, throughput requirements, quality standards and regulatory guidelines. Whether a company is producing diagnostic equipment for cancer screening, disposable devices such as syringes, or implantable devices such as stents, the manufacturing process must be absolutely error-free while delivering high throughput.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0 are transforming the world of manufacturing. The two terms are relatively interchangeable and basically mean the same thing: Manufacturers using internet-enabled technologies to improve their business strategies and outcomes.

As one of the world's leading manufacturing companies, Bosch strives to be both a lead provider and a lead user of Industry 4.0 technologies. Worldwide, the company has more than 70 Internet of Things (IoT) projects running in a variety of industries and applications.

With a fully-automatic assembly line and the ActiveMover linear motor transfer system from Bosch Rexroth, Wöhner GmbH is able to assemble 40,000 fuse holders in up to 94 different varieties each day.

By now, anyone involved in the industrial sector has heard of the Factory of the Future. Those four words encompass an industrial utopia defined by increased productivity with reduced downtime, data transparency, previously-untapped levels of customization, improved safety capabilities, all boiling down to more profitable production processes.

Maximize manufacturing return on investment by maximizing the efficiency of processes, systems, equipment and workers