Sustainable Production and Manufacturing in the Age of Industry 4.0

Dear Colleagues,

Companies designing, implementing and operating in Industry 4.0 (IE 4.0) production and manufacturing environments require investment in a range of technical, human and financial resources. Therefore, the need to develop new and innovative IE4.0 applications and the associated management approaches should not only focus on the systems’ performance but should also focus on the cultural and human issues that emerge from the adoption and use of such systems. Likewise, researchers also need to address the impact to society and the environment from the implementation of IE4.0.

A significant body of research has been developed to assist engineers and managers to find effective ways of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of IE 4.0. This has primarily focussed on the technologies themselves. However, a frequently overlooked area of research is in understanding and characterising the sustainability issues through assessing the societal, economic and environmental impact of IE 4.0 and how society is able to embrace these technologies and systems (such as competency and knowledge management, organisational learning, the supply chain and supplier development and knowledge engineering).

Additionally, it is important to note that whilst IE 4.0 systems provide the impetus for the development of new research, it must be recognized that many companies still need to achieve sustainable operations through more traditional means, especially where investment in highly sophisticated IE 4.0 systems and technologies is not an immediate possibility for them (micro-SMEs etc).

The aim of this Special Issue is to disseminate research from the development of real-life sustainable IE 4.0 systems, where new theories and approaches have been applied successfully towards the improvement of sustainability in all its forms. We invite high-quality research articles that focus on detailed research exploring the application and impact of IE 4.0 with their connections to developing sustainable futures from both industry professionals and academic researchers. The Special Issue will extend an opportunity to academic and industry researchers to share real-life applications and investigations.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Reviews of the current attitudes, cultures and societal impacts on the application and implementation of IE 4.0.
• Reviews that focus on the impact of IE 4.0 on business sustainability.
• The evaluation of projects with industry, focusing on addressing sustainability needs (such as impact on SDGs).
• Redesigning/reconfiguring business processes and supply chains for the implementation of IE 4.0.
• Knowledge management and competency development around the implementation and use of IE 4.0 technologies.
• Societal and cultural change: managing the disruptive impact of IE 4.0 technologies.
• Integrate the technological, sustainable and societal aspects of IE 4.0 research, ensuring technologies are developed with people in mind to improve their adoption and the acceptance of new ways of working.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Andrew Thomas
Guest Editor

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• Industry 4.0
• sustainability
• societal impacts