Search

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, stems from the rapid advancement of digital technologies such as the Internet of Things and Cyber-Physical Production Systems. It has the potential to weave positive changes to firms and impact organizational structure layers. Therefore, it provides an impetus for the collaboration of factories, suppliers, and customers. Nevertheless, due to the difference of Industry 4.0 vision among companies, there is a lack of unified perception and approach of its implementation roadmap. Therefore, many firms in both developed and developing countries that step in the way of digital transformation encounter not only organizational, technological, and operational challenges but are also compelled to cope with a large deal of confusion. Hence, this paper aims to identify the main concepts, characteristics, and technology enablers related to Industry 4.0 to provide stakeholders with a clear understanding of this paradigm. It then clusters and matches the derived concepts and characteristics associated with Industry 4.0. Further, the paper provides an analysis of how these clusters are supported by technology enablers of Industry 4.0, as well as managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the key aspects of digitalization brought by Industry 4.0 is driven by the Internet of Things. Perhaps, the most interesting component of digital transformation is Augmented Reality. Augmented reality is merging the digital and physical worlds in the same experience. This new technology is accepted and applications are initiated in various areas including manufacturing. The main usage area in manufacturing is planning, execution, and verification of the assembly and maintenance operations. Likewise, augmented reality is used in the training of inexperienced people and to guide them by remote expert support. However, the augmented reality application selection, especially for non-technology savvy manufacturing organizations is challenging. Detailed and time-consuming analyses are required to understand the key features to compare and select the most suitable augmented reality application. In this paper, the most critical nine augmented reality software selection criteria are identified. To help organizations to apply such criteria and make a selection that is most suitable for the enterprise, a multi criteria decision-making approach is suggested. The suggested method is based on a fuzzy spherical number. The complex proportional assessment method is used to calculate the rankings. Therefore, the suggested method is called SF-COPRAS. Moreover, the detailed definition of augmented reality features and terminologies is explained. Several augmented reality use-case scenarios are discussed for manufacturing organizations on their Industry 4.0 initiatives. This paper aims to guide decision makers on their augmented reality software selection journey. The offered framework aims to save time for investigating augmented reality solution features systematically and objectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limiting human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields in crowded indoor public spaces such as shopping malls, is identified as one of the key metrics in the process of green and digital environment transformation. To assess the exposure levels in shopping malls, we conducted a human centric extensive measurement campaign using three-axial frequency selective measurement equipment. Our study involved various indoor locations within the mall, capturing electrical field levels at different times and days of the week. A total of 529,340 samples were collected during working days, and 430,020 samples were collected during weekends. We measured E-field strength, power density, and calculated total exposures for frequency bands ranging from 88 MHz to 5850 MHz. The presented comparative analysis revealed that mobile communications technologies operating at 900 MHz and 1800 MHz were the main contributors to personal exposure levels in different mall environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industry 4.0 mainly focuses on the application of modern technologies (digitalization) and the changing role of human beings (digital transformation) in modern production and logistics systems. Besides the basic principles of digitalization, interconnectivity, and autonomization, the importance of human-centered decision-making processes, such as the selection of strategic suppliers, is also increasing, as complex, novel, and unstructured decisions cannot be fully computerized. In this context, there is still a lack of understanding of which formal patterns in the strategic supplier selection process will lead to better supplier performance. Until now, most of the literature emphasizes a minor number of process-related factors in the strategic supplier selection process leading to limited support for the individual decision-maker. This study introduces a cause-effect model that extends prior research by investigating the impact of process formality, as a comprehensive measurement construct of target-, information-, organization-, and heuristics-related process factors in the strategic supplier selection process on supplier performance and purchaser satisfaction. Based on the usage of variancebased structural equation modeling in a large-scale field study, a significant relationship between process formality and supplier performance as well as between process formality and purchaser satisfaction is substantiated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]