Forging the Future of Resilient and Intelligent Manufacturing and Production

Dear Colleagues,

The global manufacturing ecosystem is undergoing unprecedented transformation. The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and automation is redefining how industries operate, while ongoing supply chain disruptions, sustainability imperatives, and workforce challenges highlight the urgent need for resilient, intelligent, and human-centric production.

This Special Issue addresses these critical challenges by collecting state-of-the-art research and forward-looking perspectives on how smart manufacturing, advanced maintenance, and intelligent material handling are shaping the factories of tomorrow. By emphasizing breakthrough technologies, integrated frameworks, and real-world case studies, this Special Issue seeks to advance innovation and foster meaningful dialog between academia and industry.

Scope and Aims

The Special Issue’s aims are as follows:

• Showcase innovative methods and technologies driving adaptive, sustainable, and efficient production.
• Explore predictive and prescriptive maintenance strategies to reduce downtime and enhance system resilience.
• Highlight intelligent, autonomous, and collaborative material handling systems that ensure flexibility and safety.
• Investigate digital twins, real-time analytics, and smart decision-support systems that accelerate industrial intelligence.
• Promote human-centric approaches aligned with the vision of Industry 5.0, empowering workers and organizations alike.

Core Topics

Contributions are invited on (but not limited to) the following themes:

Smart Manufacturing Systems

• Digital twins and cyber-physical systems.
• AI/ML-based process optimization and control.
• Sustainable and circular manufacturing models.
• Collaborative robotics.
• Computer vision integration in production processes.

Smart Maintenance

• Predictive and prescriptive maintenance frameworks.
• Data-driven condition monitoring and diagnostics.
• Maintenance strategies for resilient and sustainable operations.

Material Handling and Logistics

• Adaptive and autonomous intralogistics systems.
• Human–robot collaboration in material handling.
• IoT- and AI-driven logistics optimization.

Human-Centric and Socio-Technical Approaches

• Human–AI collaboration on the shop floor.
• Planning for Human in the loop processes.
• Safety, ergonomics, and workforce empowerment.
• Upskilling, training, and organizational transformation for Industry 5.0.

Conclusion and Call to Action

This Special Issue offers a timely and influential platform for advancing the future of resilient, intelligent, and human-centered production systems. By bridging theoretical advances with industrial applications, it will foster innovation, collaboration, and knowledge dissemination across the global smart manufacturing community.

We invite researchers and practitioners worldwide to contribute their most impactful work, ensuring that this Special Issue becomes a cornerstone reference for the next era of manufacturing excellence.

Dr. Yuval Cohen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• smart manufacturing
• Industry 5.0
• predictive maintenance
• material handling
• digital twins
• collaborative robotics
• human-centric systems
• intelligent manufacturing