# Generating Transparency in the Worldwide Use of the Terminology Industry 4.0
## 1 Introduction  
The Industrial Revolutions underpinned fundamental changes in the past 250 years. The First Industrial Revolution started around 1760 in Great Britain and marked the transition from the agricultural to the manufacturing economy. Along with innovations such as electrification and the assembly line, the Second Industrial Revolution commenced in 1879 and ended with the start of World War I. In the middle of the twentieth century, information technology increased in importance,presiding over the further automation of the manufacturing process. This development is referred to as the Third Industrial Revolution, and it enabled the beginning of digitization [1; 2]. At the end of the twentieth century, the introduction of multiple technical innovations is claimed to have initiated a Fourth Industrial Revolution. This Fourth Industrial Revolution is characterized by the occurrence of technologies related to the Internet of Things, leading to a growing digital interconnection between machines, humans, and production lines [3]. In contrast to the previous industrial revolutions, where the manufacturing sector was the main driver, the currently unfolding industrial revolution is driven by the invention and application of smart devices and social networks [4]. In Germany, the term Industry 4.0 encapsulates the German idea of a Fourth Industrial Revolution. The concept originates from the high-tech strategy program of the German government, and was introduced in 2011 at the Hannover Fair [5]. Its focus is on the manufacturing sector and it targets the promotion of the computerization of manufacturing and strengthening Germany's competitiveness in the global market. According to the originators of the term, Industry 4.0 will lead to smart factories, in which cyber-physical systems (CPS) will monitor and oversee the manufacturing process. These CPSs can send and receive data over the Internet of Things and, in doing so, can communicate with humans, as well as with each other, in real-time. Consequently, customers can convey their desires in the manufacturing process, leading to highly individualized mass products. Industry 4.0 is also said to be accompanied by great efficiency gains, more flexibility, and improvements in supply chain and life cycle management, even though some objections to the term Industry 4.0 exist [6; 7; 8; 9; 10]. The Industry 4.0 program represents a crucial part of Germany's High-Tech Strategy 2020 initiative and is backed by a \(\copyright\)200 million bursary fund [11]. Therefore, in 2013, the concept of Industry 4.0 was elaborated and published, along with recommendations for its implementation into the manufacturing process [12]. Outside of Germany, other countries have established similar, but not identical approaches to their Fourth Industrial Revolution. One of these countries is China, with its Made in China 2025 strategy. According to [PERSON] and [PERSON] [13], rising wages indicate the country's emergence from \"low-wage country\" status. Another issue is the relatively low technical standard of many Chinese companies. Consequently, the Chinese government wants to increase efficiency and focus on quality, rather than quantity, through a modernization of the manufacturing sector [14]. Cooperation with German companies to accelerate this process is being pursued. In contrast to centrally organized activities in Germany, China, or other countries, the Industrial Internet Consortium was founded by private companies and does not represent a strategy program imposed by the government. Rather, it is an open membership organization, founded in the US by AT&T, Cisco, General Electric, IBM, and Intel in March 2014. The Industrial Internet Consortium aims for the widespread adoption and development of interconnected machines in the healthcare, energy, manufacturing, smart city, and transportation sectors [15]. Given the high importance of digitization for the German industry, a lot of research is conducted in universities and institutes.