Industry 4.0 was introduced in 2011 and since then has been perceived in multiple ways such as a vision, a paradigm, a scenario or as a digital revolution in production and service organizations. Even though Industry 4.0 is associated with great improvements for companies, there is still a lack of a uniform definition of the term Industry 4.0, especially when it comes to the transfer of knowledge from theoretical research to the implementation in organizations, which leads to confusion and disaffirmation. The lack of a clear structure and a holistic definition of the research topic Industry 4.0 inhibits the development of new business areas and new research approaches. To target this fundamental gap, a methodology is developed and the 338 most relevant publications are analyzed in the database of ScienceDirect starting from 2015. Based on those publications, the field of Industry 4.0 is structured. A consistent and comprehensive definition for Industry 4.0 is introduced by using a bibliometric analysis. Therefore, existing descriptions are decomposed into word fragments and analyzed. It is shown that this novel approach to find a definition for the term “Industry 4.0” does not yet exist. The aim is to provide a purely objective definition based on a statistical evaluation, without restricting the selection of publications to a specific research or business area. Based on those data, a new and ubiquitous definition of Industry 4.0 is formed, discussed and validated on practical examples.

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Additive manufacturing (AM) processes have experienced significant technological developments over the past decade. Today, 3D-printed metal parts can almost achieve the mechanical properties of conventionally manufactured components; process times have been shortened, and the range of available materials has been widely expanded. The decision between conventional manufacturing and AM is therefore becoming more complex, considering technical and economic criteria along the entire product life cycle. To reflect the vision of the manufacturer, each decision needs to be based on individual preferences and strategies. The present research introduces a standardised and systemised multi-criteria decision-making process to choose between additive and conventional production. Multi-criteria decision models from within the literature are analysed and a holistic decision matrix is developed based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The key novelty of the present research is the consideration of technical and economic categories along the whole product life cycle for decision making. The matrix allows an individual weighting of individual criteria along the product life cycle, starting with the conceptualisation of the product, and ending with marketing and after-sales. The approach is evaluated using two scenarios, including a control unit housing and a flat metal gasket, with different scopes of application. In conclusion, the developed multi-criteria decision matrix provides sufficient and repeatable results. The systematic decision process allows users to clearly identify the best production method for their individual use case.

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