T he fourth industrial revolution – Industry 4.0 – is all about interconnectivity . It marries physical production and operations with smart technology , and the goal is to help businesses improve quality , reduce risk and minimise cost . It ’ s a mix of software ( AI and ML ) and hardware ( RFID devices that feed into the Internet of Things ).

But the true currency of Industry 4.0 is data , which properly managed , allows unprecedented levels of transparency , automation , insight and control . One business that has placed data at the centre of its operations is Epicor , an IT company whose specialist areas include supply chain , inventory , distribution , and manufacturing production management .

Epicor says it wants to ‘ tell stories ’ with data , which is why it has changed tack on its hiring strategy , and is now building a data scientist team .

Tim Hardin is SVP Global Data & Extend Services with Epicor , and has been with the company for three years .

“ When I first joined I didn ’ t think that 10 months in , we ’ d have hired a data science

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Supply Chain Digital Magazine August 2023 | Page 80