Special Issue "Sustainable and Agile Manufacturing in the Era of Industry 4.0: Application of Simulation, Optimization, Lean, and Emerging Digital Technologies"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Masood Fathi
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Production & Automation Engineering, School of Engineering Science, University of Skövde, P.O.Box 408, SE-541 28, Skövde, Sweden
Interests: operations management; operations research; production and logistics optimization; heuristic and metaheuristic algorithms; mathematical modeling; simulation-based optimization; production planning and scheduling; supply chain management
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the Industry 4.0 era, the manufacturing industry is continuously challenged by the market to improve product quality, increase production efficiency, ensure safety, and enhance sustainability while maintaining agility in manufacturing products and satisfying customer demand. Lack of agility or manufacturing inflexibility can result in time-consuming product changes that slow time-to-market and limit the company’s ability to compete. Digital technologies such as smart wearables, or augmented/virtual/mixed reality are undoubtedly the driving force behind manufacturing agility through making the right information accessible at the right time. Moreover, informed decision making as well as smart production planning and scheduling drive manufacturing agility in the Industry 4.0 context. An intelligent production planning, scheduling, and control system have an incredibly important role in collecting, processing, and inferring the industrial data for making informed and right decisions instantaneously to deal with environmental uncertainties, and to further enable and support manufacturing agility. The efficient, flexible, and reliable logistics system is also an indispensable part of sustainable and agile manufacturing. Optimization methods that can provide flexible optimal configuration and operations allow manufacturers to change from one product variant to another quickly or even switch to a new product within a short time, conditions that are strongly needed in the era of Industry 4.0. Simulation and digital twins also play a significant role in directing the manufacturing industry toward sustainability through the realization of the virtual factory concept where technologies and changes can be tested at low cost and in a virtual environment before implementation. The lean manufacturing philosophy and its improvement tools and concepts should also not be forgotten as the cornerstone of sustainable production.

The main aim of this Special Issue is to publish a collection of high-quality research papers on sustainable and agile manufacturing, including both review and original research articles. 

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Masood Fathi
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 papers will be 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 1900 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.

Keywords

  • Manufacturing digitalization
  • Sustainable production
  • Smart logistics
  • Agile and intelligent manufacturing
  • Optimization
  • Augmented/virtual/mixed reality
  • Lean manufacturing
  • Simulation and digital twin
  • Industry 4.0 technologies
  • Production planning and scheduling

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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Article
Implementation of POLCA Integrated QRM Framework for Optimized Production Performance—A Case Study
Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3452; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063452 - 20 Mar 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 527
Abstract
Quick response manufacturing (QRM) is a relatively new concept that enfolds all the preceding approaches, namely, just in time (JIT), flexible manufacturing, agile manufacturing, and lean production. QRM is compatible with existing materials requirement planning (MRP) systems and can be implemented efficiently. The [...] Read more.
Quick response manufacturing (QRM) is a relatively new concept that enfolds all the preceding approaches, namely, just in time (JIT), flexible manufacturing, agile manufacturing, and lean production. QRM is compatible with existing materials requirement planning (MRP) systems and can be implemented efficiently. The ideas from QRM have been highly influential in custom-made engineer-to-order and make-to-order (ETO/MTO) high-mix and low-volume production environments. This study investigates the effectiveness of the POLCA (paired cell overlapping loops of cards) integrated QRM framework for reducing lead time. The POLCA integrated QRM approach was implemented in a precise product manufacturing industry. The industry was facing high penalties due to improper planning and uncontrolled lead times. The implementation of QRM with the POLCA framework indicated optimized production scheduling and significant improvement in lead time and work in process (WIP). After implementing the new manufacturing strategy, the performance parameters showed significant improvement in terms of reducing the percentage loss of profit. Full article
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Review

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Review
Applications of Blockchain Technology in Sustainable Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management: A Systematic Review
Sustainability 2021, 13(14), 7870; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147870 - 14 Jul 2021
Viewed by 542
Abstract
Developing sustainable products and processes is essential for the survival of manufacturers in the current competitive market and the industry 4.0 era. The activities of manufacturers and their supply chain partners should be aligned with sustainable development goals. Manufacturers have faced many barriers [...] Read more.
Developing sustainable products and processes is essential for the survival of manufacturers in the current competitive market and the industry 4.0 era. The activities of manufacturers and their supply chain partners should be aligned with sustainable development goals. Manufacturers have faced many barriers and challenges in implementing sustainable practices along the entire supply chain due to globalisation, outsourcing, and offshoring. Blockchain technology has the potential to address the challenges of sustainability. This study aims to explain the applications of blockchain technology to sustainable manufacturing. We conducted a systematic literature review and explained the potential contributions of blockchain technology to the economic, environmental, and social performances of manufacturers and their supply chains. The findings of the study extend our understanding of the blockchain applications in sustainable manufacturing and sustainable supply chains. Furthermore, the study explains how blockchain can influence the sustainable performance of manufacturers by creating transparency, traceability, real-time information sharing, and security of the data capabilities. Full article
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