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Interview

Smart factory: “Security is becoming a key discipline in automation technology”

The notion that a smart, networked, intelligent, autonomous and resource-optimized production will pay companies back has become common sense. Prof. Jörg Wollert, who has served on the teaching faculty at the University of Bochum, the Technical University Bielefeld, and the Technical University Aachen, explains to us what steps should be the first on the path to the Smart Factory. He also points out where corporations cannot afford to drop the ball.

Further Reading:

Prof. Jörg Wollert

Prof. Jörg Wollert was born in 1964 and studied electrical engineering at RWTH Aachen University with a focus on retrofitting technology. He received his doctorate from the faculty of mechanical engineering. Research areas include distributed real-time systems and the design of intelligent mechatronic components. After working in industry as a project manager in image processing and logistics systems, he returned to academia as a professor at the University of Bochum in 1999. He taught at the Technical University Bielefeld and joined the faculty at the Technical University Aachen in March 2015. He lectures on “Mechatronics and Embedded Systems” and develops departmental activities related to Industry 4.0. His expertise is documented in more than 200 publications, numerous textbooks and multiple seminars in his area of expertise.

The Industry 4.0 vision of the Smart Factory includes the digitization of production and the use of diverse, production-relevant data. What challenges does this pose for cybersecurity?

The question is very complex, almost to the point that it can hardly be answered comprehensively. Let’s start with Industry 4.0. This does not mean that one can buy products that are “Industry 4.0 ready” – instead, it describes implementing a comprehensive strategy that extends from design to operation. This is more complex and significantly more comprehensive than mere automation.

Smart Factory assumes digital communication across an entire corporation. Coordinating business processes and freely exchanging data without side effects are all part of this. However, business processes are usually not in any type of digitizable form, so an actual exchange between corporate entities is impossible. Confidentiality while developing digital business processes includes proprietary knowledge, which must be secured in all circumstances.

Industry 4.0 demands a design that encompasses the entire corporation. In many sectors, this foundation has not yet been developed to the extent that plug-and-produce would even be possible. Similar to the exchange of data in business processes, engineering also has very high demands for confidentiality. Security has the highest priority here as well.

The use of diverse, production-relevant data assumes a Big Data approach – once you think it through. However, most companies have yet to arrive at this point. Data is often kept at the local level for good reasons. Ultimately, production data has a lot to say about the performance of equipment, infrastructures, units and even people. Many questions have yet to be answered with regard to this – particularly those with societal implications.

In summary, one can state with confidence that the high degree of networking in all sectors of production – from design and engineering, to production, up to life cycle maintenance – will be extremely challenging. Security will play a decisive role at all levels. In fact, security is becoming a key discipline of automation technology for all Industry 4.0 approaches.

Keeping all of this in mind, the question regarding “challenges” is easy to answer: We will have to learn to manage new levels of complexity. A security level appropriate to the respective security requirements must be implemented. And employees must learn to embody security – they must internalize and intrinsically implement security goals.