Intelligent Manufacturing in the Context of Industry 4.0: A Review

Ray Y. Zhong, Xun Xu, Eberhard Klotz, Stephen T. Newman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2017 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Our next generation of industry—Industry 4.0—holds the promise of increased flexibility in manufacturing, along with mass customization, better quality, and improved productivity. It thus enables companies to cope with the challenges of producing increasingly individualized products with a short lead-time to market and higher quality. Intelligent manufacturing plays an important role in Industry 4.0. Typical resources are converted into intelligent objects so that they are able to sense, act, and behave within a smart environment. In order to fully understand intelligent manufacturing in the context of Industry 4.0, this paper provides a comprehensive review of associated topics such as intelligent manufacturing, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled manufacturing, and cloud manufacturing. Similarities and differences in these topics are highlighted based on our analysis. We also review key technologies such as the IoT, cyber-physical systems (CPSs), cloud computing, big data analytics (BDA), and information and communications technology (ICT) that are used to enable intelligent manufacturing. Next, we describe worldwide movements in intelligent manufacturing, including governmental strategic plans from different countries and strategic plans from major international companies in the European Union, United States, Japan, and China. Finally, we present current challenges and future research directions. The concepts discussed in this paper will spark new ideas in the effort to realize the much-anticipated Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)616-630
Number of pages15
JournalEngineering
Volume3
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2017

Keywords

  • Cloud manufacturing
  • Cyber-physical system
  • Industry 4.0
  • Intelligent manufacturing
  • Internet of Things
  • Manufacturing systems

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Computer Science
  • Environmental Engineering
  • General Chemical Engineering
  • Materials Science (miscellaneous)
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
  • General Engineering

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