4 industry, also known as the fourth industrial revolution, is a high-tech strategic plan proposed by the government of Germany, refers to the use of complex information system (Cyber PhysicalSystem, referred to as CPS) will be in production supply, manufacturing, sales information, intelligence, and finally achieve rapid, effective, personalized products supply of the project. In order to improve the intelligence level of the manufacturing industry, the establishment of adaptability for engineering plant resource efficiency and wisdom, the integration of customers and business partners in the business process and value flow. The technology is based on the network system and the Internet of things. The entity by the German Federal Ministry of education and research and the Federal Ministry of economics and technology jointly funded investment is expected to reach. 220 million euros.

Industrial automation is one of the important prerequisite for Germany to start industrial 4, mainly in the field of mechanical manufacturing and electrical engineering. Some experts expect the industry will continue to promote the 4 for Germany's SIEMENS, ABB, TRUMPF (Trumpf) and other mechanical and electrical equipment manufacturers, and Feinikesi electric (Phoenix Contact), Harting (Hao ting) and Wade Miller (Weidmuller) has brought a lot of orders of small and medium sized enterprises.

The German Federal Trade and investment department expert Jerome Hull told die Zeit reporter in an interview that the 4 industry is the use of intelligence to create a more flexible production process, support manufacturing innovation and better service to consumers, it represents the change of concentration of production mode.

Jerome Hull: the so-called intelligent application system, production technology and manufacturing industry, and is not a simple process, but the product and machine communication products to tell the machine what to do in the future. The intelligent production is feasible, the factory products and intelligent communications services, will be the world in the era of new manufacturing a very normal thing.

4 is involved in many different industrial enterprises, departments and areas, progressive process, with different speed of development of cross industry, cross sectoral collaboration becomes inevitable. Also in 2013 Hannover industrial exhibition, organized by the Federation of German machinery and equipment manufacturing industry (VDMA), the German electrical and Electronics Industry Association (ZVEI), Germany information technology, communications, New Media Association (BITKOM) was formally established in three jointly established a professional association of industry 4 platform.