Manufacturing is currently at a turning point from mass production to customized production. The implementation of the Industry 4.0 concept, leading to automation and digitalization of manufacturing processes, is therefore considered vital for companies that aim to follow emerging trends in production. Research in this field is primarily focused on companies from developed countries, while companies from transition countries have difficulties to adapt to new business environment. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the use of advanced digital technologies in manufacturing companies from transition countries (i.e. Serbia) in the context of Industry 4.0. To address this problem, an evaluation method based on Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) is proposed. FAHP was used to determine criteria weights as an input for PROMETHEE method which was then used to evaluate advanced digital technologies. For this purpose, the dataset from the European Manufacturing Survey gathered in 2018 from Serbian manufacturing companies is used. The results of this empirical research revealed that production planning and scheduling, digital exchange of data with suppliers/customers, and production control systems play vital role for manufacturers in the context of industry 4.0. These results could serve to manufacturers for their strategic orientation and decision making.
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is the process of managing the whole life cycle of a product starting from generating an idea, concept description, business analyzes, product design and solution architecture and technical implementation, to the successful entrance to the market, service, maintenance and product improvement. At present, a wide range of stakeholders including consumers, regulators, shareholders and public bodies are demanding that companies address product management through all life cycle in a more comprehensive and sustainable way. However, even if a company actually wishes innovate its processes for improving the way to account for project management, it will face relevant difficulties to deal with different guidelines, tools and methods currently addressing the matter from various points of view. The purpose of this paper is to review literature on PLM from an operational point of view with the objective to help companies to answer to the main market needs
Mass customization (MC) is gaining steady attention in both industry and academia. Recently, MC implementation guidelines (MC-IGs) have been identified as an emerging sub-stream of MC research.A review of this sub-stream has been published in the current year, with a practitioner-oriented view. The present paper complements that review by focusing on the researchers' need to improve the way MC-IGs are developed and communicated. By providing data generated from a systematic literature review on MC-IGs, the present paper informs researchers about how much and in which way certain aspects of MC-IGs have been considered in the available guidelines. Through a systematic and detailed description of the published MC-IGs, the present article supports researchers to clearly communicate the similarities and differences in their proposed advancements on MC-IGs. Finally, by reflecting on the very nature of the output of MC-IG research, this article suggests open and wide adoption of the design science research strategy to develop and test MC-IGs.
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