Human-Centered Manufacturing Challenges Affecting European Industry 4.0 Enabling Technologies

Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies, 2019

The ongoing digitalization of manufacturing work processes resulting from Industry 4.0—defined as digitalization, automation, and data exchange in manufacturing—challenges how we see and define the role of operators and managers. Consequently, this study investigates the extent to which digital tools are used and available to managers and operators in manufacturing who are experiencing digitalization due to Industry 4.0 movements. A cross-sectional study of production managers and operators (n = 417) was conducted among 10 Norwegian manufacturing companies. Results from independent t-tests and Chi-square tests indicate that, compared with operators, production managers report higher satisfaction with different digitalization experiences, more extensive use of digital systems for registration and documentation, and greater availability of digital tools. Thus, digitalization and digital tools based on the Industry 4.0 concepts seem to have only reached the managerial level, and the re...

German government and companies claim the beginning of a fourth industrial revolution, based on the internet of things and a new generation of flexible robots and assistance systems. Industrie 4.0 has thus far only existed in model factories. The development bears risks (job losses, devaluation of skills, increasing surveillance of employees) as well as opportunities (increasing importance of the human factor and improvement in ergonomics in manufacturing). Social research needs a long-term perspective in analyzing the experiences with the new technologies and their institutional conditions, and to show possibilities of a human-centered design of production processes.

Procedia Computer Science, 2021

The fourth industrial revolution is affecting the workforce at strategical, tactical, and operational levels and it is leading to the development of new careers with precise and specific skills and competence. The implementation of enabling technologies in the industrial context involves new types of interactions between operators and machines, interactions that transform the industrial workforce and have significant implications for the nature of the work. The incoming generation of Smart Operators 4.0 is characterised by intelligent and qualified operators who perform the work with the support of machines, interact with collaborative robots and advanced systems, use technologies such as wearable devices and augmented and virtual reality. The correct interaction between the workforce and the various enabling technologies of the 4.0 paradigm represents a crucial aspect of the success of the smart factory. However, this interaction is affected by the variability of human behaviour and its reliability, which can strongly influence the quality, safety, and productivity standards. For this reason, this paper aims to provide a clear and complete analysis of the different types of smart operators and the impact of 4.0 enabling technologies on the performance of operators, evaluating the stakeholders involved, the type of interaction, the changes required for operators in terms of added and removed work, and the new performance achieved by workers.

2019

The transition towards a digitized industry is full of challenges and perils, as well as it encompasses many business opportunities for the renovation of the European manufacturing sector and the safeguarding of its competitiveness at international markets. Development of a more service-oriented strategy, digitization of entire value chains and introduction of new disruptive technologies in production plants such as IoT, AI, robotics or 3d printing have been commonly argued as imperious needs by the European policy arena. This demand for the development of an Industry 4.0 paradigm in the old continent has also been backed up by significant initiatives such as the “Factories of the Future” Public Private Partnership by the EC as well as other important coordinated efforts at national level by member states. However, this transition towards an automated, connected and smart factory is full of uncertainties, as different concerns regarding unemployment and deskilling, asymmetries betwe...

Applied Sciences

The fourth industrial revolution is characterized by the introduction of the Internet of things (IoT) and Internet of Services (IoS) concepts into manufacturing, which enables smart factories with vertically and horizontally integrated production systems. The main driver is technology, as Industry 4.0 is a collective term for technologies and concepts of value chain organization. Digital manufacturing platforms play an increasing role in dealing with competitive pressures and incorporating new technologies, applications, and services. Motivated by the difficulties to understand and adopt Industry 4.0 and the momentum that the topic has currently, this paper reviews the concepts and approaches related to digital manufacturing platforms from different perspectives: IoT platforms, digital manufacturing platforms, digital platforms as ecosystems, digital platforms from research and development perspective, and digital platform from industrial equipment suppliers.

Many industrial leaders are working together to take advantages of an enormous potential of Industry 4.0. They want to deliver its unpredictable levels of growth and productivity over the next decade. A major obstacle lies in the perceived complexity of its transformation into industrial practice, as Industry 4.0 requires the acquisition of new technologies and business models. Providing access to these new technologies presented by Industry 4.0 usually requires a high level of maturity, especially for small and middle sized enterprises (SMEs). They face the challenge of adapting Industry 4.0 ideas with little financial and human resources. SMEs are naturally hesitant to invest in new technologies such as printed QR codes, embedded RFID tags, head-mounted devices and Augmented Reality (AR) markers. However, AR is playing a huge role in industrial environments. Besides, it is a new trend which provides a way for SMEs to evolve and transform their business practices by harmonizing with Industry 4.0, especially in areas such as production, retailing, advertising, after-sales support, and marketing. This study aims to introduce some of the industrial AR technologies that SMEs might use to improve their capabilities or have the potential for adoption to Industry 4.0. It presents an overview on the status of SMEs in Industry 4.0 and then examines the potential of industry-specific AR technologies that have shown the greatest development in the past decades. A range of case studies, which aimed to explain the diversity of opportunities for industrial needs of SMEs, are presented in the vision of Industry 4.0. This study provides a roadmap for SMEs to adopt AR technology which has a high value in the Industry 4.0 area and also helps researchers and developers to decide appropriate technologies for application of AR in SMEs.

Belmont Press, 2018

To respond to this unique and unprecedented set of global challenges, Birmingham City University has developed significant expertise in the digital arena. This book represents key ideas that are designed to provoke thought around the need for digitalisation within the manufacturing sectors-ensuring that Industry 4.0 progresses to a new age where the impact is reflected on a new world order.

Journal of manufacturing and materials processing, 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

puntOorg International Journal, 2021

The label ‘Industry 4.0’ has captured increasing attention in recent years. However, despite impressive media coverage, EU activism, and being featured in many government programs, the picture of the actual diffusion and realistic industrial potential of the so-called ‘Industry 4.0 enabling technologies’ is still unclear. Far from filling this gap at the European or global level, in this paper we focus one specific, though relevant, industrial domain: the Italian mechanical engineering sector. The analysis shows the magnitude of a phenomenon that has undoubtedly been subject to some excessive rhetoric. Nevertheless, our findings show that things are progressing as the early adopters (mostly large businesses) are beginning to invest in and develop strategic plans for future action. However, most players such as small-sized family-owned enterprises are simply looking at the moment, and do not appear to have a strategy in approaching Industry 4.0 or any plan for getting on board in the...

Research Papers Faculty of Materials Science and Technology Slovak University of Technology, 2020

Aim of the paper is to analyse specific factors of human-robot collaboration and adoption to Industry 4.0 technologies in relation to working in mixed teams and in virtual work environment. Based on literature review and current findings in unified theory of technology acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model and its extensions, new endogenous factors might be included/considered, in a UTAUT model, namely emotional attitude (trust towards technology, perceived threat) and new moderators such as a location of organization and type of workplace-based training in organization. Team identification and self-extension process are intended as drivers for development of positive attitudes in human-robot collaboration and prerequisites of sustainable human-robot interaction. Regarding the findings in human-robot collaboration, the authors suggest including the type of personality and the attitudes towards Human-Robot collaboration among the extended factors of technology adoption withi...