Special issue on collaborative production and maintenance in the environment of big data and industry 4.0.

This document is a special issue of the International Journal of Production Research focused on collaborative production and maintenance in the context of big data and Industry 4.0. It discusses the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on manufacturing, highlighting the importance of interconnectedness, automation, and data-driven decision-making. The document emphasizes the need for proper analysis of the vast amount of data collected through smart sensors and the potential for collaboration between humans, machines, and data to improve production and maintenance processes. The special issue includes seven selected papers that address various aspects of collaborative production and maintenance, such as fault diagnosis, maintenance scheduling, and maintenance policy evaluation. The papers offer valuable insights, innovative approaches, and practical applications in the field. The editors hope that this special issue will inspire further research and collaboration in the era of big data and Industry 4.0. [Extracted from the article]