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Purpose: Authors of the paper develop the main assumptions for project management in the Industry 4.0, and present them in the short form as basic knowledge, useful for managing smart manufacturing (SM) projects in companies. Design/methodology/approach: the process of preparing SM (smart manufacturing) projects and their implementation, in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, have been changed, due to the importance of the issue of linking more and more intelligent machines, IT-computer programs and monitored processes into integrated technological systems of key importance for the construction of cyber-physical production systems (CPS). The paper applies a conceptual analysis of possible areas of change in project management (PM) when enterprises build the smart manufacturing (SM). Findings/conclusions: companies building the smart environment must adapt their organization of project management to the new requirements and opportunities of Industry 4.0 (I 4.0) technologies. Research limitations: the narrow scope of knowledge about the ongoing changesin SM project management is due to the short period of experience (the Industry 4.0 concept has been implemented since 2011), therefore the authors have only presented the framework of changes in organization of project management. Practical implications: the authors' intention was to initiate a practical discussion about the changes in project management in the ongoing industrial revolution. Originality/value: Since 2011, when the government of the Federal Republic of Germany recognized the concept of "Industrie 4.0" as the key strategy of innovative development, Industry 4.0 has become an important discussed topic among practitioners and researchers. The fourth industrial revolution is expected to result in a leap in the efficiency of companies operating in the intelligent technological environment. Key technologies or pillars of Industry 4.0 are implemented in manufacturing enterprises to build the smart manufacturing processes. Enterprises develop new projects and make investments in order to create Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies have elevated the capabilities and possibilities of improvement and efficiency in the energy sector. This paper interrogates how energy companies in South Africa, Germany and China apply 4IR technologies. A total of 26 energy companies in those countries were surveyed. An analysis was carried out using the Cronbach Alpha, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Survey results indicate that 85% of companies acknowledge good levels of participation in the 4IR, and were clear about which 4IR technologies are important, although few companies develop these themselves. Technologies enabling access to big, real-time data (BRTD) and BRTD analysis software, are valued the most in measured importance, efficiency, reliability and ability to be integrated across the energy system. The transfer of data using the Internet of things ranked highly as a 4IR technology, whereas artificial intelligence, robotics and machine-human integration (also referred to as machine-human interaction) are considered less important, efficient, and reliable. China rates 4IR technologies as more important than South Africa and Germany do. For South Africa to be competitive in the global energy sector it needs to engage with and embrace 4IR technologies to a greater extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industry 4.0, a term invented by Wolfgang Wahlster in Germany, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2021. Still, the digitalization of the production environment is one of the hottest topics in the computer science departments at universities and companies. Optimization of production processes or redefinition of the production concepts is meaningful in light of the current industrial and research agendas. Both the mentioned optimization and redefinition are considered in numerous subtopics and technologies. One of the most significant topics in these areas is the newest findings and applications of artificial intelligence (AI)—machine learning (ML) and deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs). The authors invented a method and device that supports the wiring assembly in the control cabinet production process, namely, the Wire Label Reader (WLR) industrial system. The implementation of this device was a big technical challenge. It required very advanced IT technologies, ML, image recognition, and DCNN as well. This paper focuses on an in-depth description of the underlying methodology of this device, its construction, and foremostly, the assembly industrial processes, through which this device is implemented. It was significant for the authors to validate the usability of the device within mentioned production processes and to express both advantages and challenges connected to such assembly process development. The authors noted that in-depth studies connected to the effects of AI applications in the presented area are sparse. Further, the idea of the WLR device is presented while also including results of DCNN training (with recognition results of 99.7% although challenging conditions), the device implementation in the wire assembly production process, and its users' opinions. The authors have analyzed how the WLR affects assembly process time and energy consumption, and accordingly, the advantages and challenges of the device. Among the most impressive results of the WLR implementation in the assembly process one can be mentioned—the device ensures significant process time reduction regardless of the number of characters printed on a wire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Industry 4.0 (I4.0) concept is concerned with the fourth industrial revolution in manufacturing, in which technological trends such as digitalization, automation and artificial intelligence are transforming production processes. Since the concept's introduction at the Hannover Fair in Germany in 2011, I4.0 has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity and is currently high on the agenda of governments, politicians and business elites. In light of these observations, some commentators have asked the question of whether I4.0 is a concept that is hyped up and possibly just the latest in a long line of fashionable management concepts introduced over the course of the last few decades. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide a critical outside-in look at the emergence and rise of I4.0. Theoretically, these processes are viewed through the lens of management fashion, a theoretical perspective well suited to examinations of evolutionary trajectories of management concepts and ideas. The findings indicate that the I4.0 concept has quickly become highly popular and is dominating much of the popular management discourse. The concept has migrated out of the specialized manufacturing discourse to become a more general concept with mainstream appeal and applicability, evidenced by a multitude of neologisms such as Work 4.0 and Innovation 4.0. The numbers 4.0 have spread in a meme-like fashion, evidenced by the fact that the combination of a noun and the numbers 4.0 are used to signal and usher in discussions about the future of business and society. While there is much evidence that clearly shows that the concept has had a wide-ranging impact at the discursive level, the currently available research is less clear about what impact the concept has had so far on industries and organizations worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Lean Manufacturing is a methodology that companies from different sectors have implemented for several years, which has given significant results. Although it is a methodology that has been implemented since the 70's, it is still in force despite the technological era that has been advancing in recent years. The different Industrial Revolutions have brought with them important advances in terms of technology, always seeking to make life easier for human beings. From Industry 3.0, where we begin to talk about technology and intelligent machines, it has sought to automate processes and replace handmade or manual production in companies. Therefore, one might think that just as companies must adapt to these new trends, methodologies, such as Lean Manufacturing, should also transition to automation or the use of technology for their application. If Industry 3.0 already showed important signs in the advancement of technology, with Industry 4.0 it was confirmed that this technology would be present in our daily lives and in the processes of companies. In fact, in developed countries such as Japan and Germany there is already widespread talk of Industry 5.0, an industry that seeks to return to the human being as an important part of industrial processes, which in Industries 3.0 and 4.0 had passed into the background to give way and greater importance to the use of technology. With the new industrial revolution (5.0) there is even talk of new technologies and tools for improving the production processes of companies. Companies seeking to adapt to the use of technology and seek to continue competing in the market and even seek a better position against the competition must make strong capital investments to acquire the technology necessary for their processes. And those decision-makers need to have a very broad picture and make sure that those investments work and have the expected results. One of the important tools in Industry 5.0 that can help in decision making is simulation. The simulation helps in visualizing how a process works without the need for it to be already implemented in a real way, that is, adjustments and improvements can be made without these implying a change or an investment in the real process. Therefore, we can have data that approximates the data that can throw us a process that is already working physically. If you are looking to analyze data from a process that is already physically implemented, simulation helps determine which part of the process requires improvement or change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]