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]

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) is a new generation of digital technology that is concerned with the integration and inter-dependencies of the cyber and physical world alongside computational elements. As a new and leading technology, its applications are seen in different projects involving energy and this has however generated lots of interest from the industry, researchers in academia and the government. This paper presents an extensive overview and modernistic research on the applications relating to energy CPS and the security issues and challenges revolving around this research path. In order to achieve this, a systematic literature review was carried out which enabled the analysing and classifying of different applications and security issues described in selected publications. Furthermore, the systematic review permitted the discourse stringing these research areas as well as providing future lines of research. Also, results from the review show the paths where there are increasing research focus and expected research trend in the future years to come. These results will not only be useful in serving as a guide to researchers but will also create new research paths to more experienced researchers to actively follow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digitalization of industries is at the heart of today's global economy. However, there seems to be confusion about the most effective methods for initiating this transformation, and even more so for the manufacturing Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME). In a context of labor shortages, globalization and access to goods, services and skills everywhere and at any time thanks to the Internet, the need to stand out from the competition becomes a crucial issue. This research attempts to evaluate and identify the most effective ways to facilitate the digitalization in a context of manufacturing SMEs. Thanks to the measure of the digital performance and an 80-hour experience-based methodology using a questionnaire and field interviews, the determining factors of influence of the digital transformation could be raised. This paper uses a model of digital performance and hypothesis testing to try to identify the business practices and the 4.0 technologies that have the greatest effect on the performance of manufacturing SMEs. The results then intents to guide the efforts both in academia and in the field concerning digitalization of SMEs. [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]

Technology development opens up for new possibilities to facilitate the production processes through digital information systems. To optimize the systems' value, the form, content, and medium must fit the needs of the workers. This article aims to contribute to the discussion on value, use and design of digital assistance systems for production. It presents empirical data from a case study at a Norwegian shipyard, on production workers' perception of coordinative challenges, and the value (including content) of digital assistance systems in complex shipbuilding projects. A quantitative survey among supervisors and operators at the shop floor was conducted twice due to different circumstances at the yard. These variations in circumstances are valuable to enable an evaluation of the workers' perception of coordinative challenges and digital solutions in different situations. The findings indicate a pronounced positive attitude towards the potential of digital systems. Moreover, the role of supervisors and operators in coordinative challenges leads to different requirements to the solutions. The results from this study will have both industrial and scientific implications, as they provide valuable insights to help develop user-friendly systems that aid both workers and the company in terms of efficiency and accurate communication. [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]

The fourth industrial revolution is characterised by the increased use of digital tools, allowing for the virtual representation of a real production environment at different levels, from the entire production plant to a single machine or a specific process or operation. In this framework, Digital Factory technologies, based on the employment of digital modelling and simulation tools, can be used for short-term analysis and validation of production control strategies or for medium term production planning or production system design/redesign. In this research work, a Digital Factory methodology is proposed to support the enhancement of an existing manufacturing cell for the fabrication of aircraft engine turbine vanes via robotic automation of its deburring station. To configure and verify the correct layout of the upgraded manufacturing cell with the aim to increase its performance in terms of resource utilization and throughput time, 3D Motion Simulation and Discrete Event Simulation are jointly employed for the modeling and simulation of different cell settings for proper layout configuration, safe motion planning and resource utilization improvement. Validation of the simulation model is carried out by collecting actual data from the physical reconfigured manufacturing cell and comparing these data to the model forecast with the aim to adapt the digital model accordingly to closely represent the physical manufacturing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]