Sustainable Intelligent Manufacturing Systems in Industry 4.0 and 5.0

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid development of cutting-edge technologies in the context of Industry 4.0 has transformed manufacturing systems by providing intelligent (or smart) and connected solutions. Although these technologies have significantly improved the productivity and efficiency of manufacturing processes, there is now a growing global awareness that future manufacturing systems must be designed with a focus on sustainability and social needs.

In response to these challenges, the concept of Industry 5.0 has been developed to complement the previous industrial paradigm. This transformation not only aims to optimize manufacturing processes, but also emphasizes the importance of environmental protection and social and economic sustainability in manufacturing systems. At the same time, the global need for a circular economy underlines the importance of developing innovative ways of designing products and manufacturing systems to maximize resource use and minimize waste and pollution. The aim is to minimize a product’s impact on the environment throughout its life cycle. Accordingly, the circular economy, environmentally friendly manufacturing and efficient resource use are becoming integral to intelligent manufacturing system development.

This Special Issue of Sustainability aims to provide a platform for theoretical analysis and practical case study insights that address the development of future manufacturing systems. Such systems should not only be efficient and intelligent but also sustainable, aligned with the principles of Industry 4.0, resilient and centered on people and their well-being. The aim is to investigate how technologies such as digital twins and artificial intelligence, the development of new materials, process optimization, product life cycle management, etc., can contribute to the sustainable transformation of manufacturing systems.

For this Special Issue, we welcome the submission of original research articles and reviews. The areas explored may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Sustainable practices in Industry 4.0 and 5.0;
• The application of cutting-edge Industry 4.0 technologies;
• Product optimization;
• Process optimization;
• The circular economy;
• Product Life Cycle Management (PLM);
• Sustainable product development;
• Digital twins;
• Green and sustainable materials in manufacturing;
• Advanced manufacturing;
• Data-driven sustainability assessment and decision making;
• Ergonomics in manufacturing;
• Quality management;
• AI and machine learning for efficient manufacturing;
• Sustainable human–robot collaboration;
• Sustainable manufacturing;
• Blockchains for sustainable manufacturing;
• Smart operators in Industry 4.0/5.0;
• Smart factories;
• Cognitive approaches to improving decision making in relation to sustainability goals.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Amanda Aljinović
Dr. Marina Crnjac Zizic
Dr. Ivan Peko
Guest Editors

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. Sustainability 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.

• Industry 4.0 and 5.0
• circular economy
• intelligent manufacturing
• sustainable processes
• human-centricity
• green manufacturing
• process optimization
• product optimization