Industry 4.0 Implementation Specialist - VDS Consulting Group

Contract | 6-12 months | Day rate + expenses | Travel M-F, CONUS

The mandate

A narrow, technical, hands-on engagement: put connected technology onto production lines that were built before anyone used the phrase Industry 4.0, and make it produce a measurable operating result rather than a dashboard nobody opens.

What you'll own

• IoT sensor deployment and machine connectivity on legacy equipment, including retrofit approaches for assets without native connectivity
• Predictive and condition-based maintenance implementation, and the data pipeline behind it
• Robotic and automation integration onto existing lines - cobots, pick and place, palletizing, vision inspection
• OEE data capture that reflects reality rather than the number the plant would like to report
• MES and shop floor data system implementation or integration to the ERP layer
• OT/IT convergence and the network and security architecture it requires
• Business case development and post-implementation benefit validation
• Operator and maintenance training on everything you install

What you bring

• 10+ years in manufacturing automation, controls, industrial engineering, or smart factory implementation
• Hands-on capability with PLCs, SCADA, historians, and industrial networking
• Practical retrofit experience - connecting equipment that was never designed to be connected
• Automation integration project delivery, including safety, validation, and commissioning
• Ability to build and defend a business case, then prove the benefit landed
• Comfort working on the floor in an active production environment

Strong plus:predictive maintenance analytics; machine vision; robotics integration; OT cybersecurity; experience across multiple sites or a smart factory program.