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This paper delves into the challenges impeding the seamless integration of artificial intelligence (AI) within the food supply chain (FSC) and introduces a novel methodological framework that combines the NK Model with the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique. Through an exhaustive literature analysis and expert discussions, the research identifies and categorizes significant obstacles to AI deployment in the FSC. These hurdles include the imperative for a skilled labor force, financial limits, regulatory complexity and technological limitations. The unique DEMATEL-NK approach highlights the interconnected nature of these barriers, pinpointing the most critical impediments. The study's implications extend to the broader domains of AI adoption in agriculture and the food industry, offering a nuanced perspective for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers. The findings underscore the imperative of overcoming these barriers for the successful implementation of AI technologies in the FSC, promising advancements in efficiency, quality, and sustainability. The innovative methodology not only sheds light on the interconnectedness of these barriers but also provides a systematic approach for prioritizing and implementing solutions. This research offers a fresh viewpoint on barrier relationships, guiding decision-makers in crafting effective strategies and interventions to propel AI integration in the FSC forward.

Purpose – The paper proposes a framework for the successful deployment of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) principles in the aerospace industry, based on identified success factors. The paper challenges the perception of I4.0 being aligned with de-skilling and personnel reduction and instead promotes a route to successful deployment centred on upskilling and retaining personnel for future role requirements. Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology involved a literature review and industrial data collection via questionnaires to develop and validate the framework. The questionnaire was sent to a purposive sample of 50 respondents working in operations, and a response rate of 90% was achieved. Content analysis was used to identify patterns, themes, or biases, and the data were tabulated based on specific common attributes. The proposed framework consists of a series of gates and criteria that must be met before progressing to the next gate. Findings – The proposed framework provides a feedback mechanism to review minimum standards for successful deployment, aligned with new developments in capability and technology, and ensures quality assessment at each gate. The paper highlights the potential benefits of I4.0 implementation in the aerospace industry, including reducing operational costs and improving competitiveness by eliminating variation in manufacturing processes. The identified success factors were used to define the framework, and the identified failure points were used to form mitigation actions or controls for inclusion in the framework. Originality/value – The paper provides a framework for the successful deployment of I4.0 principles in the aerospace industry, based on identified success factors. The framework challenges the perception of I4.0 as being aligned with de-skilling and personnel reduction and instead promotes a route to successful deployment centred on upskilling and retaining personnel for future role requirements. The framework can be used as a guideline for organizations to deploy I4.0 principles successfully and improve competitiveness.

This article provides a comprehensive overview of digital technologies for water use and management in agriculture, examining recent applications and future prospects. It examines key water-related challenges - scarcity, pollution, inefficient use and climate change - and shows how various digital technologies such as Remote Sensing, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Big Data, Robotics, Smart Sensors and Blockchain can help address them. The review finds that these technologies offer significant potential for improving water management practices, with Remote Sensing and Artificial Intelligence emerging as the most versatile and widely adopted. Efficient irrigation strategies appear to be the most common application across technologies. Digital solutions significantly reduce water wastage, help identify pollution hotspots, and improve overall water resource management. For example, remote sensing-based approaches (e.g. UAV-mounted multispectral cameras) can accurately monitor soil moisture to optimise irrigation scheduling, while AI-driven models (e.g. random forest or neural networks) can predict groundwater recharge or forecast rainfall events. However, several barriers to widespread adoption are identified, including high implementation costs, lack of technical expertise, data management challenges, and infrastructure and connectivity constraints. The study concludes by suggesting priorities for future research and development, highlighting the need for integrated technological solutions, improved accessibility and affordability, improved efficiency and sustainability, improved water quality, enhanced data management capabilities, and strategies to address emerging concerns such as cybersecurity and the environmental impact of digital technologies themselves. This review aims to inform future research, policy and practice in agricultural water management and support the development of more productive, resilient and sustainable agricultural systems.

The primary aim of this study is to assess the significance of top management commitment in the context of Lean 4.0 implementation within the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Ghana. The study seeks to understand and evaluate the overall effectiveness and achievements associated with adopting Lean 4.0. Employing a positivist mindset, the research utilizes an explanatory quantitative research design and a survey technique. Data collected from 181 employees of pharmaceutical companies in Ghana undergo analysis using SmartPLS (version 4) and IBM SPSS version 26. The study employs a combination of descriptive statistics to summarise data characteristics and inferential statistics to test various hypotheses related to Lean 4.0 adoption. The analysis reveals that the successful integration of lean methods and Industry 4.0 technologies requires meticulous management. Simultaneously, individual implementations of lean principles and Industry 4.0 technologies positively impact business performance. Surprisingly, the study does not observe a substantial positive influence of Lean 4.0 on corporate performance, suggesting that immediate improvements in efficiency or profitability may not result from the adoption of this framework. This research contributes to the field by highlighting the need for careful management in integrating lean methods and Industry 4.0 technologies. It also emphasizes the positive impacts of lean principles and Industry 4.0 technology on business performance. The unexpected finding regarding the lack of immediate improvements in corporate efficiency or profitability with Lean 4.0 adoption prompts considerations of initial implementation challenges or the organization's need for time to adapt to this integrated approach.

Our planet is currently facing unprecedented interconnected environmental, societal, and economic dilemmas due to climate change, the outbreak of pandemics and wars, among others. These global challenges pose direct threats to food security and safety and clearly show the urgent need for innovative scientific solutions and technological approaches. Backed by the current alarming situation, many food-related trends have emerged in recent years in response to these global issues. This review looks at two megatrends in agriculture and the food industry; the shift to vegetable diets and the digital transformation in food production and consumption patterns. On one side, several innovative technologies and protein sources have been associated with more sustainable food systems and enhanced nutritional quality and safety. On the other side, many digital advanced technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and 3D printing) have been increasingly applied in smart farms and smart food factories to improve food system outcomes. Increasing adoption of vegetal innovations and harnessing Industry 4.0 technologies along the food supply chain have the potential to enable efficient digital and ecological transitions.

Fish and other seafood products represent a valuable source of many nutrients and micronutrients for the human diet and contribute significantly to global food security. However, considerable amounts of seafood waste and by-products are generated along the seafood value and supply chain, from the sea to the consumer table, causing severe environmental damage and significant economic loss. Therefore, innovative solutions and alternative approaches are urgently needed to ensure a better management of seafood discards and mitigate their economic and environmental burdens. The use of emerging technologies, including the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) innovations (such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, smart sensors, and the Internet of Things, and other advanced technologies) to reduce and valorize seafood waste and by-products could be a promising strategy to enhance blue economy and food sustainability around the globe. This narrative review focuses on the issues and risks associated with the underutilization of waste and by-products resulting from fisheries and other seafood industries. Particularly, recent technological advances and digital tools being harnessed for the prevention and valorization of these natural invaluable resources are highlighted.

Embracing innovation and emerging technologies is becoming increasingly important to address the current global challenges facing many food industry sectors, including the dairy industry. Growing literature shows that the adoption of technologies of the fourth industrial revolution (named Industry 4.0) has promising potential to bring about breakthroughs and new insights and unlock advancement opportunities in many areas of the food manufacturing sector. This article discusses the current knowledge and recent trends and progress on the application of Industry 4.0 innovations in the dairy industry. First, the “Dairy 4.0” concept, inspired by Industry 4.0, is introduced and its enabling technologies are determined. Second, relevant examples of the use of Dairy 4.0 technologies in milk and its derived products are presented. Finally, conclusions and future perspectives are given. The results revealed that robotics, 3D printing, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Big Data, and blockchain are the main enabling technologies of Dairy 4.0. These advanced technologies are being progressively adopted in the dairy sector, from farm to table, making significant and profound changes in the production of milk, cheese, and other dairy products. It is expected that, in the near future, new digital innovations will emerge, and greater implementations of Dairy 4.0 technologies is likely to be achieved, leading to more automation and optimization of this dynamic food sector.

The first edition of the International Conference on Industry 4 [...]

In submitting conference proceedings to Engineering Proceedings, the volume editors of the proceedings certify to the publisher that all papers published in this volume have been subjected to peer review administered by the volume editors [...]

This research critically examines how the traceable dairy supply chain can be implemented in Ukraine to foster socio-economic outcomes, such as reduced food safety risk, higher product quality, improved shipping and storage, and greater consumer confidence for improved export potential [...]

The current war in Ukraine has severely disrupted global food supply chains due to the significant decline in the production of grain commodities, of which Ukraine and Russia are major global suppliers. This creates problems in today’s globalised food systems. In particular, a number of countries are heavily dependent on food imports from Ukraine and/or Russia, particularly some developing nations in regions like the Middle East and North Africa. As a result, alternative suppliers need to increase production and food supply chains need to adapt distribution processes. In these situations, building resilience in food supply chains is critical to react to disruptions. Resilience has become a widely researched topic in the context of food supply chains, leading to the exploration of different strategies. One potential strategy to improve resilience is to integrate digital technologies to optimise food operations. One of the digital technologies at the core of Industry 4.0, and one that is increasingly being used, is the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT refers to systems that connect devices via the Internet, allowing them to collect and share data in real time within a network. The successful use of IoT in industrial systems has already been demonstrated and the food industry has begun to embrace the opportunities this technology offers. This research focuses on the potential of the IoT to support food supply chains by making them more resilient, particularly in the context of the disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine. Using a literature review and data from statistical sources, we explore the challenges posed to food supply chains by the Russo–Ukrainian war, and identify specific vulnerabilities that the IoT can address. We discuss the challenges of implementing this technology, particularly in wartime situations, and its potential to strengthen food supply chain operations through its ability to collect and share accurate data in real time.

This research aims to develop a better understanding of how the adoption of Industry 4 [...]

The aim of this research is to comparatively analyse the potential for implementing Industry 4 [...]

Food is one of the most traded goods, and the conflict in Ukraine, one of the European breadbaskets, has triggered a significant additional disruption in the global food supply chains after the COVID-19 impact. The disruption to food output, supply chains, availability, and affordability could have a long-standing impact. As a result, the availability and supply of a wide range of food raw materials and finished food products are under threat, and global markets have seen recent increases in food prices. Furthermore, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has adversely affected food supply chains, with significant effects on production, sourcing, manufacturing, processing, logistics, and significant shifts in demand between nations reliant on imports from Ukraine. This paper aims to analyze the impacts of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on the effectiveness and responsiveness of the global food supply chains. A PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach, including grey literature, was deployed to investigate six key areas of the food supply chains that would be impacted most due to the ongoing war. Findings include solutions and strategies to mitigate supply chain impacts such as alternative food raw materials, suppliers and supply chain partners supported by technological innovations to ensure food safety and quality in warlike situations.

Background: This research aims to identify how blockchain technology could support the ecological embeddedness of the coffee supply chain. Ecological embeddedness is a subset of the circular economy (CE) that demands legitimacy through design changes to product, production and/or packaging for benefits to economic actors and the environment. This is in contrast with legitimacy as a public relations exercise. Blockchain is a digital transformation technology that is not fully conceptualized with respect to supply chain implementation and the related strategy formulation, particularly in the context of sustainability. Furthermore, the integration of consumers into the CE remains not well understood or researched, with the main focus of CE being the cycling of resources. Methods: This research employs a qualitative case study methodology of the first coffee business in the USA to use blockchain technology as an exemplar. Gap analysis is then applied to identify how blockchain could be used to advance from the current state to a more sustainable one. Results: Findings indicate that the implementation of blockchain is not ecologically embedded in the example studied. Conclusions: The extension of blockchain technology to consider the by-products of production and valorizable waste throughout the supply chain as assets would support ecologically embedded CE for coffee.

Food Logistics 4.0 is a term derived from Industry 4.0 focusing on all the aspects of food logistics management based on cyber-physical systems. It states that real-time information and the interconnectivity of things, supplemented with novel technologies will revolutionise and improve the way food logistics is carried out. It has tremendous potential in terms of bringing transparency, swift delivery of food at reduced cost, flexibility, and capability to deliver the right quality product at the right place and at the right time. This paper discusses the vital technologies within Food Logistics 4.0 and the opportunities and challenges in this regard. It focuses primarily on food logistics, including resource planning, warehouse management, transportation management, predictive maintenance, and data security. Internet of Things, Blockchain, Robotics and Automation and artificial intelligence are some of the technologies discussed.

The quest to boost student employability remains a critical focus in higher education. Accordingly, employability is a fundamental yardstick for the performance of universities, which reflects the capability of the institutions to support students in getting and keeping roles suitable to their education while adding value to themselves and society. Although the literature underscores the importance of graduate employability, the significance of guest lectures in meeting this goal – and strategies for convening it – has received limited attention. This study draws on the Self-determination theory (SDT) and pedagogical considerations to propose a framework for setting up impactful guest lectures that bolster student employability. Therefore, we employ the framework to provide guest lectures for a diverse group of 495 postgraduate students in the UK and collect qualitative data for analysis. Through a qualitative deductive approach, we uncovered how using diverse presentation styles while linking theory and practice supports the autonomy needs of students, exposure to the future role supports their need for competence, and linking guest speaker sessions to assignment tasks and co-creative environment supports their relatedness need. Our study offers novelty through an SDT-based framework for implementing guest lecture sessions that engender high levels of participation and engagement.