Specification of principle solution for a smart factory exemplified by active structure

Smart factories of the era of the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0 that employ a completely new approach to production are beginning to emerge. In this context, information and communication technology driven by the Internet of Things, Data and Services play a vital role. To demystify and showcase how a smart factory works, a reference model consisting of a principle solution and a working prototype for a smart factory has been developed. The principle solution consisting of six key aspects has been specified using the specification technique CONSENS. This paper describes one of the six key aspects, namely, the active structure of a smart factory. The active structure describes a system-level concept for a smart product that records its own product identity and production history from the moment an order is placed right through to outbound logistics. In this context, the key system elements and their interdependencies in terms of information, energy and material flows are described.