Algorithms and Methods for Designing and Scheduling Smart Manufacturing Systems—3rd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Smart manufacturing has created a paradigm shift in manufacturing technology. This perception of this shift amongst scholars is part of the reasoning behind the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) strategy or equivalent national policies, which brings new challenges and opportunities for companies that are facing tough global competition. Industry 4.0 should not only be considered to one of many possible strategies for manufacturing companies, but also to be an important practice within organizations, since it significantly increases the productivity of manufacturing processes and brings other benefits for companies and their customers. The introduction of smart manufacturing systems is associated with the adaptation of the Internet of Things, cyber–physical systems, artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, cloud technology, and so on. Moreover, the implementation of these technologies is paving the way for digital evolution, which is impacting the majority of industries and sectors worldwide. However, recent studies have shown that pre-existing managerial methods and philosophies, such as lean manufacturing, reconfigurable manufacturing systems, or cellular manufacturing systems, are of the utmost importance in regard to smart manufacturing. In this context, manufacturing system design and scheduling methods should be further improved. A prime example of the co-existence between traditional, existing manufacturing methods and I4.0 technologies are efforts to develop integrative models supporting both lean manufacturing tools and I4.0 technologies. This Special Issue aims to collect original contributions related to the design and scheduling of smart manufacturing systems.

Potential topics for submissions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Modern methods and techniques for designing layout manufacturing systems;
• Innovative approaches for solving manufacturing cell formation problems;
• Modeling and designing flexible and reconfigurable manufacturing systems;
• Heuristics and metaheuristics for solving facility layout design problems;
• Heuristics and metaheuristics for solving scheduling problems;
• Multi-objective methods and techniques for solving design problems;
• Modeling manufacturing processes for smart cyber–physical environments;
• Modeling assembly processes for mass customized manufacturing;
• Designs of architecture for human–robot collaborative assembly systems;
• Multi-objective optimizations of mixed-model assembly line balancing problems.

Prof. Dr. Vladimir Modrak
Dr. Zuzana Soltysova
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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