Industry 5.0 and the return of the human
Manufacturing has spent the last decade chasing efficiency.
Automation. Data. Integration. Scale.
That wave, often labelled Industry 4.0, delivered real gains. But it also exposed a gap that technology alone can’t close: people still do the work.
This is where Industry 5.0 comes in.
Rather than replacing humans, Industry 5.0 focuses on augmenting them. It puts people back at the centre of manufacturing systems, with technology designed to support how humans actually learn, decide, and perform under real-world conditions.
At the heart of Industry 5.0 are 3 principles:
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Human-centricity
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Resilience
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Sustainability
Human-centricity is the foundation. Without it, the other two collapse.
And one of the most overlooked enablers of human-centric manufacturing is visual information.
The problem with text-heavy manufacturing environments
Most manufacturing environments are still built on 2D static documentation:
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PDFs
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Manuals
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Static drawings
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Spreadsheets
- Long procedural documents
These were never designed for speed, pressure, or variation.
On the shop floor, in service environments, or across dealer networks, people are:
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Time-poor
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Context-switching constantly
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Working across different skill levels and languages
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Expected to execute correctly, first time
Text-based documentation assumes:
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Time to read
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Time to interpret
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Prior knowledge
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Perfect memory
That assumption breaks down fast in the real world.
Human-centric manufacturing starts by acknowledging a simple truth: humans process visual information faster and with less cognitive effort than text.
Why visual information changes performance, not just presentation
Visual information isn’t about making things look nicer. It fundamentally changes how people work.
When information is visual:
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Cognitive load is reduced
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Interpretation drops
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Confidence increases
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Errors decrease
This matters because Industry 5.0 is not about doing new things.
It’s about doing existing work better, more consistently, and with fewer mistakes.
Visual information supports:
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Learning in the flow of work
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Faster onboarding
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More consistent execution
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Less reliance on tribal knowledge
In short, it supports humans as they are, not as documentation wishes they were.
What “visual information” actually means in manufacturing
In a human-centric manufacturing environment, visual information typically shows up in two critical areas:
1. Visual Work Instructions (WI)
Visual work instructions guide people through tasks step by step, using:
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3D visuals
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Clear sequencing
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Interactive elements
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Contextual guidance
Instead of reading what to do, people can see it.
This is especially powerful for:
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New starters
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Complex assemblies
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Infrequent tasks
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Process changes
The result is faster time-to-competency, fewer mistakes, and more consistent outcomes across teams.
2. Visual Electronic Parts Catalogues (EPC)
Parts identification is another area where text struggles and visuals win.
Visual EPCs allow users to:
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Identify the correct part quickly and accurately
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Understand how parts relate to each other
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Reduce misidentification and guesswork
This is critical in aftersales, service, and dealer environments where:
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Product variants are common
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Experience levels vary
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Mistakes are costly
In Industry 5.0 terms, EPCs become decision-support tools rather than just reference documents.
How OEMs are applying this today
Forward-thinking OEMs are already applying Industry 5.0 principles, even if they don’t call it that.
They’re moving away from:
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Static manuals
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Siloed documentation
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Knowledge locked in individuals
And towards:
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Interactive, visual product knowledge
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Systems people actually use
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Platforms that support execution, not just compliance
Tools like Partful enable this shift by allowing OEMs to create visual, interactive 3D work instructions and parts catalogues from a single source of product data.
This means:
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Work instructions and EPCs stay aligned
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Updates reach teams instantly
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Knowledge is embedded in the platform, not the workforce
The business impact of human-centric, visual systems
When OEMs adopt visual information as part of a human-centric strategy, the benefits are practical and measurable:
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Faster onboarding and training
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Reduced errors and rework
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More consistent execution across teams and partners
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Lower dependency on experienced individuals
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Improved resilience when people or processes change
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Less waste from incorrect parts or poor execution
This is where Industry 5.0 stops being a philosophy and becomes an operational advantage.
Industry 5.0 isn’t about more technology
It’s about better technology choices.
Human-centric manufacturing asks questions like: “How do we help people do their jobs better?”
Visual information answers that question in one of the simplest, most effective ways possible.
And for OEMs navigating skills shortages, product complexity, and pressure to do more with less, that shift isn’t optional anymore. It’s already happening.
Partful
