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This paper outlines the use of Collaborative Networks foundations at the intra-organizational level, applying them in the support of systems of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs), and of collaborative softbots in more particular. Five use case scenarios have been implemented upon a didactic shopfloor as a proof of concept. In spite of the complexity related to the knowledge modeling of softbots, the achieved results demonstrated the potentials of better human-automation symbiosis when groups of CPSs, information systems and humans have to cooperate and collaborate using collaborative softbots to improve operational excellence and human satisfaction in smart, social factories.

Production management involves many activities. In order to deal with Industry 4.0 requirements, many systems have developed solutions to gather realtime information from the shopfloor for more reliable decision-making. Empirical studies have been showing that this has created a tremendous overload of information to be handled by managers, causing stress, incorrect analyses and sometimes guessing-based decision-making, especially in SMEs. Using data analytics and maturity models concepts, this work shows Livia, a softbot with chatting capabilities. Deployed in a cloud and working on companies' shopfloor information got via a MES system, Livia helps managers to identify their main problems, suggests corrective actions, and proactively performs many supporting actions. Results are presented and discussed in the end.

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This paper presents the results of a research work that aimed at investigating the usage of softbots -as digital intelligent software assistants -as a supporting technology to help in excelling smart production management composed of cyber-physical systems (CPS). This work also attempts to differentiate the many equivalent terms used in the literature to softbots, trying to demonstrate that all of them are just types of softbots. Softbots 4.0 acts as a smart humanmachine interface, representing a digital virtual assistant to handle human-related issues when implementing the concept of Operator 4.0. Yet, the concept of Softbot 4.0 is framed against the RAMI 4.0 model in a way to show how it can also be taken as an (intelligent) manufacturing entity. The main goal of Softbots 4.0 is to support the Operator 4.0 in interfacing with smart machines, robots, and systems, aiding people in the automatic, planned or pro-active execution of different, repetitive or complex tasks, efficiently in a more symbiotic human-machine environment. Five different cases have been selected for the assessment, implemented as software prototypes in different production management and shop floor control scenarios close to real CPS. The high potential of the softbots approach could be observed, especially when combined with other enabling technologies for Industry 4.0. A global assessment and reflections on these experiments are discussed at the end.

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