A standards framework for value networks in the context of Industry 4.0

The German initiative Industry 4.0 will involve amongst other issues networking and integration of several different parties (e.g., manufacturing companies, suppliers, customers, sub-contractors) through value networks. This initiative underpins that this collaborative partnership will only be feasible if standardization and open standards are available. For this purpose a reference architecture is needed to provide a technical description of these standards. In this context interoperability plays a major role for the seamless exchange of data and information among partners in these value networks. Interoperability involves the interaction of different systems and their users. Information modeling is a key concept for providing interoperability. In this paper, we present a standards framework that highlights how existing standards intertwine to establish value networks in an Industry 4.0 context.