With the arrival of new technologies in modern smart factories, automated predictive maintenance is also related to production robotisation. Intelligent sensors make it possible to obtain an ever-increasing amount of data, which must be analysed efficiently and effectively to support increasingly complex systems’ decision-making and management. The paper aims to review the current literature concerning predictive maintenance and intelligent sensors in smart factories. We focused on contemporary trends to provide an overview of future research challenges and classification. The paper used burst analysis, systematic review methodology, co-occurrence analysis of keywords, and cluster analysis. The results show the increasing number of papers related to key researched concepts. The importance of predictive maintenance is growing over time in relation to Industry 4.0 technologies. We proposed Smart and Intelligent Predictive Maintenance (SIPM) based on the full-text analysis of relevant papers. The paper’s main contribution is the summary and overview of current trends in intelligent sensors used for predictive maintenance in smart factories.

Green processes are very important for the implementation of green technologies in production to achieve positive sustainability outcomes in the Industry 4.0 era. The scope of the paper is to review how conventional green processes as a part of Industry 4.0 provide sustainability outcomes in manufacturing. The paper is based on the methodology of systematic literature review through the content analysis of literary resources. Twenty-nine studies were included in our content analysis. The results show the main focus of current literature related to Industry 4.0, sustainability outcomes and green processes. The authors present a conceptual Sustainability Green Industry 4.0 (SGI 4.0) framework that helps to structure and evaluate conventional green processes in relation to Industry 4.0 and sustainability. The study summarizes which technologies (big data, cyber-physical systems, Industrial Internet of Things and smart systems) and green processes (logistics, manufacturing and product design) are important for achieving a higher level of sustainability. The authors found that the most often common sustainability outcomes are energy saving, emission reduction, resource optimalization, cost reduction, productivity and efficiency and higher economic performance, human resources development, social welfare and workplace safety. The study suggests implications for practice, knowledge and future research.

Industry 4.0 includes digital process transformation, information technology (IT) development, mobile devices, learning software, automation, and robotics, as well as intelligent sensors to collect large datasets, store, analyze, and use them in business, including simulation, virtual reality, and digital twins. The aim of the paper is to characterize the readiness of the enterprise to use Industry 4.0. In the research, a questionnaire survey was carried out on a sample of 276 enterprises mainly from the manufacturing industry. Using explorative factor analysis, the index of Industry 4.0 (VPi4) was designed to determine the level of Industry 4.0 implementation in the enterprises. The results were further verified by a statistical analysis, using Mann–Whitney test and correlation coefficients. The results indicate that the VPi4 index was consistent in terms of distribution when comparing the results on the verification sample. Its results correlate with the subjective perception of the enterprises, and different levels of the index reflect the difference in technological intensity of the industry. The VPi4 index enables the enterprises to determine their own level of current state of readiness for Industry 4.0, to better prioritize business development. The proposed solution categorizes Industry 4.0 components into a useful theoretical framework. Further research offers the possibility of applying the index in other sectors, its relation to the size of enterprises, and updating with respect to new trends in information technology.

Sustainability has recently become a phenomenon; small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly emphasizing the principles of sustainability in their corporate governance. They implement these changes through project management. The purpose of the paper is to determine the critical success factors in project management, as seen by the managers of Czech manufacturing enterprises, related to the most to the successful completion of the projects. We aim to analyze the relation of these success factors to Industry 4.0, Human Resources, and sustainability. We determined the possible interconnectedness of the critical success factors using correlation coefficients. Then, we compared them using the Mann-Whitney test with new corporate management trends. The results show that companies consider Leadership and Experiences, and Employees and Flexibility to be key factors in project management’s success. The most important critical factor for the sustainability of projects focused on Industry 4.0 is the finances that decide the implementation of projects. The benefits of Industry 4.0 concerning sustainability have been identified in projects aimed at implementing new energy sources. In addition to the results obtained, the development of a methodology for evaluating Industry 4.0 projects’ success concerning sustainability may be based on critical success factors in the future.

Due to Industry 4.0 technologies, small- and medium-sized enterprises have a great opportunity to increase their competitiveness. However, the question remains as to whether they are truly able to implement such modern technologies faster and carry out digital transformation. The main aim of the paper is to classify small- and medium-sized enterprises into various groups, according to the level of implementation of Industry 4.0, using the Index of Industry 4.0. Based on the results of the cluster analysis, the small and medium enterprises are categorized into four different groups, according to the level of implementation of Industry 4.0. There are top Industry 4.0 technological enterprises, I4 start enterprises, noobs enterprises, and I4 advances enterprises. So far, the largest group consists of the small- and medium-sized enterprises that are just starting out with the introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies, such as IT infrastructure, digitalization (data, cloud, data analysis, and information systems), and sensors. On the other hand, the top I4 technological enterprises group is the least numerous. The analysis carried out comparing the small- and medium-sized enterprises with the large enterprises shows that the SMEs still have a lower level of Industry 4.0 implementation. This confirms the assumption that the large enterprises have greater opportunities to use new technologies and transform them into smart factories. However, this situation may change in the future if new technologies become more accessible, and SMEs are worth investing in Industry 4.0 in terms of the return on investment.