Marketplace Innovation radar

Operational intelligence: applying industry 4.0 in rural environments

Fri, 25 Apr 2025

The industrial revolution of the 21st century is already here, and it does not distinguish between large cities and small towns. Thanks to the promotion of the DIGIS3 project, rural companies in Castilla y León have Industry 4.0 tools within their reach to transform the way they produce, innovate and compete.

What does it mean to apply Industry 4.0 in the rural world?

Industry 4.0 is the integration of digital technologies in production processes. We are not just talking about automation, but about operational intelligence: data, connectivity and real-time analysis to make informed decisions.

In rural environments, these technologies can make a difference in sectors such as:

  • Agri-food: IoT sensors to monitor growing conditions, blockchain for food traceability.
  • Renewable energy and efficiency: remote and predictive control of solar or biomass installations.
  • Crafts and local manufacturing: 3D printing for rapid prototyping, cloud ERP for management (enterprise resource planning software that can be accessed via the internet).

How it can be put into practice

The key is to adapt the solutions to the reality and needs of each company. From DIGIS3 we accompany you step by step with:

  1. Personalised digital diagnosis: we measure the level of digital maturity and define priorities.
  2. Practical workshops and demonstrations: face-to-face or virtual sessions with real and applied examples.
  3. Testing of technologies: access to risk-free experimentation environments to validate solutions before investing.
  4. Funding support: we identify public funding and European programmes. Support in the search for private funding.

Possible cases of implementation in rural companies

  • A cereal cooperative that automates the control of humidity and temperature in silos by means of connected sensors, reducing losses and improving grain quality.
  • An artisan cheese factory that installs a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) to trace each batch from milk to point of sale.
  • A rural carpentry workshop incorporating a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) design and cutting system linked to customised online orders.
  • A family-run farm that uses drones for crop analysis and applies AI for crop prediction.

DIGIS3: your ally to digitise from the local level

DIGIS3 acts as a one-stop shop for digital transformation for rural SMEs. Our experts in business digitalisation are at your disposal. Contact us at info@digis3.eu

 

Automate, accelerate, and move forward with DIGIS3

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Or if you prefer, contact us through:

info@digis3.eu

+ 34 622 48 39 75

Ricardo S. Alonso Rincón

IP European Innovation Hub

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