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The smart factory as a key construct of industry 4.0: A systematic literature review
Journal
International Journal of Production Economics
ISSN
0925-5273
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2019
Author(s)
Abstract
Industry 4.0 is a ubiquitous term throughout general newspapers, on company websites or in scientific journals.
One of its key constructs is the smart factory, envisioned as a future state of a fully connected manufacturing
system, mainly operating without human force by generating, transferring, receiving and processing necessary
data to conduct all required tasks for producing all kinds of goods. Although the understanding of smart factory
concepts has been sharpened in the last years, it is still difficult for industrial companies to establish a concrete
strategy roadmap within the jungle of different terminologies, ideas and concepts. To generate further clarity
and to consolidate the previous findings around smart factory for researchers as well as for practitioner, we
conducted a systematic literature review. For this purpose, we chose a five steps approach: Scope definition,
topic conceptualisation, literature search, literature analysis and synthesis, and synthesis of future research
questions. During our review, we found that research within each perspective is fragmented and unequally
advanced. Most publications treat single use cases with low generalizability, often rely upon machine data,
typically have a technical nature and seldom incorporate impact estimations. In this paper, our key academic
and practical contribution lies in the categorisation of the selected publications into eight thematic distinct
perspectives within the sphere of smart factory: Decision making, cyber-physical systems, data handling, IT
infrastructure, digital transformation, human machine interaction, IoT, and cloud manufacturing and services.
These are further developed into the smart factory research model, stating a foundation for future research
endeavors.
One of its key constructs is the smart factory, envisioned as a future state of a fully connected manufacturing
system, mainly operating without human force by generating, transferring, receiving and processing necessary
data to conduct all required tasks for producing all kinds of goods. Although the understanding of smart factory
concepts has been sharpened in the last years, it is still difficult for industrial companies to establish a concrete
strategy roadmap within the jungle of different terminologies, ideas and concepts. To generate further clarity
and to consolidate the previous findings around smart factory for researchers as well as for practitioner, we
conducted a systematic literature review. For this purpose, we chose a five steps approach: Scope definition,
topic conceptualisation, literature search, literature analysis and synthesis, and synthesis of future research
questions. During our review, we found that research within each perspective is fragmented and unequally
advanced. Most publications treat single use cases with low generalizability, often rely upon machine data,
typically have a technical nature and seldom incorporate impact estimations. In this paper, our key academic
and practical contribution lies in the categorisation of the selected publications into eight thematic distinct
perspectives within the sphere of smart factory: Decision making, cyber-physical systems, data handling, IT
infrastructure, digital transformation, human machine interaction, IoT, and cloud manufacturing and services.
These are further developed into the smart factory research model, stating a foundation for future research
endeavors.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
SoM - Business Innovation
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Elsevier
Publisher place
St.Gallen
Volume
Special Issue Industry 4.0
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Contact Email Address
philipp.osterrieder@unisg.ch
Eprints ID
257919