Industrie 4.0 is the fully digitalised and networked production approach of the future and it is relentlessly moving into the factories. There is an almost inflationary use of terms such as “IoT Ready”, “RAMI 4.0-compliant” and “Industrie 4.0 seal”. All too often, the services offered define Industrie 4.0 in completely different ways, causing far more confusion than clarity. How can we shed some light onto this mix of terms and offers? What does the customer gain and what is behind the terms and consulting services? ZVEI has developed general and universal criteria for Industrie 4.0 products.They are described in this guideline. The guideline was created in collaboration with the working group 1 on reference architectures, standards and norms of Plattform Industrie 4.0. These criteria help providers in the market to decide which products can already be labelled as Industrie 4.0-capable today. At the same time, companies can use these criteria as a guide for product development. For customers, the ZVEI definition provides clarity about the performance and
features that Industrie 4.0 products1 should provide. This ensures more transparency and security for the market as a whole. Indirectly, it also becomes clear what is not
Industrie 4.0-compliant. This guideline continues and supersedes the yearly updated guidelines since 2015.