Learn in the textbookSmartification and IoT Applications in Industry and Society
DefinitionA smart factory (スマートファクトリー) is a factory whose equipment and sensors are connected to a network through IoT, so that the collected data can be used to optimize production.
ExplanationEquipment status is made visible, and signs of failure are caught from changes in vibration or temperature so machines can be serviced before they stop (predictive maintenance (予知保全)). Germany's Industry 4.0 initiative is a plan built around making factories smart in this way.
AnalogyA factory where every machine wears a health monitor, and the doctor steps in before anything goes wrong.
Memory hookThe fact- in factory comes from the Latin for "make", so the word means a place where things are made.