Facing the challenges of globalisation and unpredictable shocks, manufacturers seek novel methods to maintain the sustainability of their supply chains. Adopting Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies ...facilitates sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) with the precise decision-making of supply chain activities and the realisation of circular development. However, according to the bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review of articles related to “SSCM”, few frameworks with I4.0 technologies are found to empower SSCM under circular economy (CE) logic. Thus, this article proposes a conceptual framework of I4.0 technologies-embedded SSCM, which takes advantage of five kinds of emerging digital technologies, including cloud services, artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics (BDA), blockchain technology (BT), and internet of things (IoT). The CAB2IN framework is based on the technologies mentioned above alongside the design, manufacturing, delivering, using, and end-of-life stages of products and services to meet the requirements of reducing material usage, remanufacturing, reusing, and recycling. This paper's contribution lies in indicating the trends of SSCM in the era of Industry 4.0 and proposing CAB2IN to creatively establish the virtual side of circular SSCM, which leverages the data generated in each stage to assist sustainable decision-making. CAB2IN illuminates several research directions for future studies of digitalised SSCM under the perspective of CE. The case of Company S illustrates the application of CAB2IN in the healthcare supply chain. This paper also summarises insightful directions of digitalised SSCM under the proposed circular framework.
•Emerging technologies in SSCM are identified with bibliometric analysis.•A framework integrating information and digital technologies in SSCM is developed.•The framework guides the lifecycle management of SSCM with digital technologies.•A case study of pharmaceutical SSCM is used to validate the proposed framework.
Retrofitting is a sustainable approach to improving the capabilities and extending the life of aging machine tools. Reusing the mechanical construction and replacing only the control electronics and ...software is a viable option to upgrade an aging machine tool to a cutting-edge level. During the last decades, the evolution of machine tools has focused on developing computer numerical control (CNC) rather than on mechanical construction. Retrofitting the CNC enables Industry 4.0 connectivity and improved usability sustainably, preserving finite raw material resources and reducing carbon emissions created during the casting process of heavy blank parts for physically large machine tools.
This publication presents methods to retrofit machine tools using open-source CNC software and a feasibility study after seven years of operation. Our study highlights retrofitting as more profitable than repairing an aging CNC and compares the sustainability of retrofitting or replacing the aging machine tool with a new unit. In conclusion, retrofitting enables sustainability, connectivity, and accuracy comparable to modern machine tools. Retrofitting also paves the way for using artificial intelligence to monitor and adapt to tool wear, chatter, and surface roughness.
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•The presented retrofit approach is scalable, enabling retrofitting large and small machine tools.•A feasibility study and usability survey of the CNC retrofit are presented.•A study on the carbon footprint of casting a frame for machine tools is presented.
The ever-growing concern of sustainability and survivability attracts academicians and practitioners to develop strategies and supply chain capabilities that cater to the challenges and helps in ...achieving the sustainability development goals. There is a need to develop a holistic model that facilitates understanding the relationships among supply chain practices, industry 4.0 technologies, and supply chain performance measures. Thus, this study examines the mediating effect of industry 4.0 technologies on supply chain management practices and supply chain performance measures. A survey-based data was collected from manufacturing organizations across India, and 361 complete responses were obtained. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized for data analysis. This study has multiple contributions. First, the results indicate that the supply chain management practices influence the industry 4.0 technologies adoption. Second, the results also revealed that the industry 4.0 technologies significantly positively affect supply chain performance measures. Finally, industry 4.0 technologies mediated the relations between supply chain management practices and supply chain performance measures. Furthermore, the findings offer important insights into understanding the underlying mechanisms in successfully adopting and effectively using industry 4.0 technologies. The implications for theory and practices are also discussed.
•Examining the inter-relationships among SC, I4.0, and performance measures.•Data is collected from the Indian manufacturing sector.•Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to test the relationships.
It is critical for organizations to self-assess their Industry 4.0 readiness to survive and thrive in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Thereon, conceptualization or development of an ...Industry 4.0 readiness model with the fundamental model dimensions is needed. This paper used a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and content analysis strategy to review 97 papers in peer-reviewed academic journals and industry reports published from 2000 to 2019. The review identifies 30 Industry 4.0 readiness models with 158 unique model dimensions. Based on this review, there are two theoretical contributions. First, this paper proposes six dimensions (Technology, People, Strategy, Leadership, Process and Innovation) that can be considered as the most important dimensions for organizations. Second, this review reveals that 70 (44%) out of total 158 total unique dimensions on Industry 4.0 pertain to the assessment of technology alone. This establishes that organizations need to largely improve on their technology readiness, to strengthen their Industry 4.0 readiness. In summary, these six most common dimensions, and in particular, the dominance of the technology dimension provides a research agenda for future research on Industry 4.0 readiness.
•Industry 4.0 is transmuting the organizational structures of businesses.•Organization's ambidexterity can be critical for capability for Industry4.0.•Intellectual capital and technology's absorptive ...capacity improve organizational ambidexterity.•All dimensions of IC improve exploration and exploitation capabilities of an organization.•The study integrates the TAC with the IC-ambidexterity relationship.
Industry 4.0, which features the Internet of things (IoT), cloud computing, big-data, digitalization, and cyber-physical systems, is transforming the way businesses are being run. It is making the business processes more autonomous, automated and intelligent, and is transmuting the organizational structures of businesses by digitalizing their end-to-end business processes. In this context, balancing innovation and exploitation—organization's ambidexterity—while stepping into the fourth industrial revolution can be critical for organizational capability. This study examines the role of intellectual capital (IC)—human capital, structural capital and relational capital—in balancing the innovation and exploitation activities. It also examines the role of technology's absorptive capacity in the relationship between IC and organizational ambidexterity (OA). Data were collected from 217 small and medium enterprises from the manufacturing sector of Pakistan using a closed-ended Likert scale-based questionnaire. The study employs partial least square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) for data analysis. Findings indicate a profound influence of all dimensions of IC, both overall and by dimensions on organizations’ ambidexterity. Findings also exhibit a significant partial mediating role of technology absorptive capacity (TAC) in the association of IC and ambidexterity. The findings of the study emphasize the creation of specific policies aimed to develop IC of a firm, which in turn can enable a firm to maintain a balance between innovation and market exploitation activities. The study integrates the TAC with the IC-OA relationship, which is the novelty of the study.
•The most important habilitating technologies for Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing are presented.•Trends are discussed.•Basic concepts are defined to contextualize further discussion.
Industry ...4.0 refers to the integration of a multiplicity of technologies and agents for the common goal of improving the efficiency and responsiveness of a production system. This integration has the potential to revolutionize the manner in which business are planned and conducted. Smart Manufacturing represents the implementation of Industry 4.0 on the manufacturing floor. The Internet of Things, Big Data, Cyber Physical Systems, Machine Learning, Additive Manufacturing, and Robotics are only some of the elements that are associated with this revolution. This article discusses trends in some of the habilitating technologies of Industry 4.0.
Objective: This research aimed to analyze the implications of the use of additive manufacturing for sustainability in production processes. Methodology: The research was characterized as ...exploratory qualitative approach, which was carried out with 15 professionals from a Brazilian industry. Data collection was conducted through in-depth interviews, and analysis of the speech revealed insights into the environmental implications of additive manufacturing. Results and discussion: As a result, it was evidenced that despite the benefits offered by additive manufacturing for sustainability, such as reducing material waste and personalized production, there are significant challenges to be faced. Concern about the recyclability of materials used in 3D printing has been identified as a critical point, underlining the pressing need to develop more efficient and sustainable recycling processes to deal with the waste generated. In addition, mentioning the importance of considering the full life cycle of products emphasizes the complexity of environmental issues associated with additive manufacturing, requiring holistic approaches that consider environmental impacts at all stages of the process. Conclusion: Therefore, the need for an integrated approach to sustainability in additive manufacturing is highlighted, which not only maximizes the environmental benefits of the technology, but also proactively deals with emerging challenges, thus ensuring a positive impact on the environment.
Research on sustainable development is significantly influenced by the trade‐off between the economic, social and environmental performance of businesses. Industry 4.0 development is a key business ...priority due to the promise of exponential increase in productivity, time efficiencies and cost reduction. However, Industry 4.0 development has been slow. Notably, human actors remain central to Industry 4.0, while the social responsibility component of sustainable development is a key prerogative for industry, championed through the UN sustainable development goals and European Commission. Therefore, we evaluate human‐related impediments for Industry 4.0 and critically explore how human resource management (HRM) can overcome these barriers using a socially responsible orientation. First, we analyse the human‐related challenges to Industry 4.0 through a thematic literature review. Thereafter, through an integrative literature review of different research streams (Industry 4.0, HRM and social responsibility), we critically argue novel perspectives on how human resource practices can enable sustainable development of Industry 4.0 in a socially responsible manner. Herein, we address a crucial literature gap. Our findings reveal numerous people‐related barriers, including change resistance, digital skills gap, employment threats widening socio‐economic inequalities, lack of industry‐wide collaboration, leadership and organisational culture challenges. We show that HRM can be a crucial enabler for sustainable Industry 4.0 development through socially responsible human resource practices. These include strategic multistakeholder collaborations, holistic talent management, change leadership, inclusive knowledge sharing, sponsoring education research and codesigning curricula, smart technology for upskilling and retention and rewarding inclusive Industry 4.0 ideas. We conclude with future research directions.
Sensors play a crucial role in factory automation in making the system intellectual. Different types of sensors are available as per the suitability and applications; some of them are produced in ...mass and available in the market at affordable costs. The standard sensor types available are position sensors, pressure sensors, flow sensors, temperature sensors, and force sensors. They are used in many sectors, such as motorsport, medical, industry, aerospace, agriculture, and daily life. The objective of Industry 4.0 is to increase efficiency through automation. Sensors are vital components of Industry 4.0, allowing several transitions such as changes in positions, length, height, external and dislocations in industrial production facilities to be detected, measured, analysed, and processed. Smart factories will also enhance sustainability by tracking real-time output, and automated control systems will minimise potential factory maintenance costs. It can also be seen that digitalisation can improve production mobility, which gives advanced manufacturing firms a competitive advantage. This paper discusses sensors and their various types, along with significant capabilities for manufacturing. The step-by-step working Blocks and Quality Services of Sensors during implementation in Industry 4.0 are elaborated diagrammatically. Finally, we identified thirteen significant applications of sensors for Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 provides an excellent opportunity for the development of the sensor market across the globe. In Industry 4.0, sensors will enjoy higher acceptance rates and benefit from a fully enabled connecting and data exchange and logistics integration. In the coming years, sensor installations may grow in process management, automated production lines, and digital supply chains.
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