Towards product customization and personalization in IoT-enabled cloud manufacturing

Customized/personalized products are gaining more shares in today\u2019s product market. Such products need collective efforts from consumers, manufacturers and third parties. This requirement has not been well addressed due to both market and technology factors. On the other hand, the Internet of Things (IoT) provides real-time sensing/actuating ability and fast transmission capability of data/information, so that remote operation of manufacturing activities and efficient collaboration among stakeholders are greatly facilitated. This provides great opportunities to address the requirement mentioned above. Thus we propose a full-connection model of product design and manufacturing in the IoT-enabled cloud manufacturing environment. The proposed model uses social networks to connect multiple parties and facilitate open innovations, and use IoT to glue physical space to cyber space and cloud manufacturing to provide various elastic services, so that the on-demand workspace, interaction, information sharing or collective problem solving are enabled. We also propose a supporting infrastructure for this model using the latest information and communication technologies. Finally, we present a case study of an RFID enabled production system for customized and personalized product with the ability to enable a new paradigm of \u201cdynamic processes and close collaborations among different roles\u201d and ensure robust production.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Technology enablers for the implementation of Industry 4.0 to traditional manufacturing sectors: A review

The traditional manufacturing sectors (footwear, textiles and clothing, furniture and toys, among others) are based on small and medium enterprises with limited capacity on investing in modern production technologies. Although these sectors rely heavily on product customization and short manufacturing cycles, they are still not able to take full advantage of the fourth industrial revolution. Industry 4.0 surfaced to address the current challenges of shorter product life-cycles, highly customized products and stiff global competition. The new manufacturing paradigm supports the development of modular factory structures within a computerized Internet of Things environment. With Industry 4.0, rigid planning and production processes can be revolutionized. However, the computerization of manufacturing has a high degree of complexity and its implementation tends to be expensive, which goes against the reality of SMEs that power the traditional sectors. This paper reviews the main scientific-technological advances that have been developed in recent years in traditional sectors with the aim of facilitating the transition to the new industry standard.This research was supported by the Spanish Research Agency (AEI) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the project CloudDriver4Industry TIN2017-89266-R

The Role of Emerging Digital Technologies in the Apparel Industry of Pakistan

Abstract Purpose: Current study examines the relationship of industry 4.0 on firm performance through process mediation of employee involvement and mass customization capabilities. The motivation to conduct the current study was driven by the decreasing trend of Pakistan apparel exports and the inconsistent findings in the literature on the relationship among variables. Design/Methodology/Approach: Population of the study are the export members firms of HS code 61 and HS code 62 apparel manufacturing firms. From 1564 firms 10000 senior and middle management identified as a population. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the research model. Findings: The results reveal that industry 4.0 technologies positively impacted firm performance. Study findings also show the process mediation of employee involvement and mass customization capability between big data and firm performance. Implication/Originality/Value: To the best author's knowledge, this is the first attempt to examine the process mediation of employee involvement and mass customization capability on the relationship between industry 4.0 and Pakistan apparel firm performance

Measuring the Firm Competitiveness by the Capacity of Operational Flexibility Using Industry 4.0

openL'integrazione delle tecnologie dell'Industria 4.0 nei moderni processi produttivi ha innescato una profonda trasformazione nelle pratiche industriali globali. Questa tesi si concentra su queste trasformazioni nell'illustre panorama tedesco, pioniere nell'innovazione manifatturiera e nell'adozione di Industria 4.0. La tesi esplora il modo in cui la gestione dei dati e la personalizzazione influiscono sulla competitività dell'impresa grazie alla flessibilità operativa che comportano. L'obiettivo fondamentale di questa ricerca è duplice: esplorare l'importanza delle capacità di gestione dei dati nella produzione intelligente e il loro legame con le strategie di personalizzazione e la flessibilità operativa, e mostrare la loro influenza combinata sulla competitività delle aziende manifatturiere tedesche. Analizzando il ruolo della gestione strategica dei dati insieme a un'efficace personalizzazione, questo studio cerca di scoprire i meccanismi che alimentano una migliore competitività nel paradigma dell'industria 4.0. Con la rivoluzione dello stile manifatturiero dalla produzione di massa a quella personalizzata, la determinazione delle richieste e delle preferenze dei clienti è diventata progressivamente importante per i produttori. Verrà discusso l'effetto delle prestazioni della rete di dati di produzione per la personalizzazione di massa e le strategie di adattamento per diventare più flessibili e competitivi.The integration of Industry 4.0 technologies into modern manufacturing processes has ignited a profound transformation in global industrial practices. This thesis focuses on these transformations in Germany's distinguished landscape—an eminent pioneer in manufacturing innovation and Industry 4.0 adoption. It explores how data management and customization affect firm competitiveness by operational flexibility they bring with. The fundamental objective of this research is twofold: to explore the significance of data management capabilities in smart manufacturing and its link to customization strategies and operational flexibility, and to show their combined influence on firm competitiveness among German manufacturing firms. By dissecting the role of strategic data management in tandem with effective customization, this study endeavors to uncover the mechanisms that fuel improved competitiveness in the industry 4.0 paradigm. With the revolution in manufacturing style from mass to customized production, determining customer demands and preferences have grown gradually significant for the manufacturers. The effect of manufacturing data network performance for mass customization and adaptive strategies to become more flexible and competitive will be discussed

Lean manual assembly 4.0: A systematic review

In a demand context of mass customization, shifting towards the mass personalization of products, assembly operations face the trade-off between highly productive automated systems and flexible manual operators. Novel digital technologies—conceptualized as Industry 4.0—suggest the possibility of simultaneously achieving superior productivity and flexibility. This article aims to address how Industry 4.0 technologies could improve the productivity, flexibility and quality of assembly operations. A systematic literature review was carried out, including 234 peer-reviewed articles from 2010–2020. As a result, the analysis was structured addressing four sets of research questions regarding (1) assembly for mass customization; (2) Industry 4.0 and performance evaluation; (3) Lean production as a starting point for smart factories, and (4) the implications of Industry 4.0 for people in assembly operations. It was found that mass customization brings great complexity that needs to be addressed at different levels from a holistic point of view; that Industry 4.0 offers powerful tools to achieve superior productivity and flexibility in assembly; that Lean is a great starting point for implementing such changes; and that people need to be considered central to Assembly 4.0. Developing methodologies for implementing Industry 4.0 to achieve specific business goals remains an open research topic

The latest age of mass customization: improvements of industry 4.0

Il primo capitolo dell'elaborato verte sulla prima trattazione delle rivoluzioni industriali, sul significato del termine "industria 4.0" e sul come le aziende abbiano risposto ai mutamenti della domanda con la mass customization (m.c.). Nel secondo capitolo vengono analizzate le tecnologie abilitanti dell'industria 4.0 e il loro impiego nella mass customization. Il terzo ed ultimo capitolo racconta come l'azienda padovana O bag abbia applicato la m.c. in un contesto di industria 4.0

Design and Planning of Manufacturing Networks for Mass Customisation and Personalisation: Challenges and Outlook

AbstractManufacturers and service providers are called to design, plan and operate globalized manufacturing networks, addressing to challenges such as ever-decreasing lifecycles and increased product complexity. These factors, caused primarily by mass customisation and demand volatility, generate a number of issues related to the design and planning of manufacturing systems and networks, which are not holistically tackled in industrial and academic practices. The mapping of production performance requirements to process and production planning requires automated closed-loop control systems, which current systems fail to deliver. Technology-based business approaches are an enabler for increased enterprise performance. Towards that end, the issues discussed in this paper focus on challenges in the design and planning of manufacturing networks in a mass customization and personalization landscape. The development of methods and tools for supporting the dynamic configuration and optimal routing of manufacturing networks and facilities under cost, time, complexity and environmental constraints to support product-service personalization are promoted

Industry 4.0 and the future of manufacturing. Theoretical base and empirical analyses

A new industrial revolution \u2013 also called \u201cIndustry 4.0\u201d \u2013 is unfolding fueled by the introduction of broadly interconnected digital technologies, including the Internet of Things, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing. Many industries are witnessing the entrance of new players integrating new technologies into disruptive business models; incumbents are also urged to rethink how they operate against trends that are expected to further accelerate in the current pandemic situation. The overarching aim of the research presented in this doctoral dissertation is to investigate to what extent Industry 4.0 represents a fundamental challenge to existing paradigms and requires researchers to modify their theoretical frameworks to approach emerging issues. With this in mind, each chapter can be seen as a step forward in journey whereby some core issues come progressively into focus. The starting point is a conceptual work analyzing the phenomenon \u2013 \u201cIndustry 4.0\u201d and similar labels \u2013 and its underlying technological and non-technological components. As a second step \u2013 under the assumption of Industry 4.0 having paradigmatic properties comparable to previous industrial revolutions \u2013 potential new configurations of manufacturing value chains are investigated. Through a future-oriented expert study, eight scenarios are conceived identifying critical drivers to value chain configurations. Finally, one of these critical drivers \u2013 data sharing in inter-organizational relationships \uac\u2013 is investigated through the development of a multiple case study analysis in the automotive sector. The contribution of this dissertation to the academic debate is at least twofold. On the one hand, the research highlights the cornerstones of the phenomenon to make sense of its overarching features and building elements. This contributes to lay solid theoretical foundations needed to advance the understanding in the field. On the other hand, my empirical investigations suggest that several barriers counterbalance the technological drivers for change, posing significant questions as for when and how the future of manufacturing will materialize. Overall, an approach focused on understanding how technologies influence the assumptions behind the current reasoning might lead at a synthesis between \u201cold\u201d and \u201cnew\u201d elements in the Industry 4.0 phenomenon