A Theoretical Framework for Industry 4.0 and Its Implementation with Selected Practical Schedules

Abstract

In recent years, there has been dynamic changes in the industrial environment as a result of further innovations called Industry 4.0 (I.4.0), especially in the field of digital technology and manufacturing. Despite numerous examples of the implementation of Industry 4.0 in enterprises, there is no general framework for the implementation of Industry 4.0 with a detailed schedule. Researching the ways of implementing Industry 4.0 is still a current and unexplored area of research. The main aim of the paper is to present the concept of the theoretical framework for Industry 4.0 implementation based on selected schedules of the Industry 4.0 implementation. The paper was based on information from literature review and analysis of pilot enterprise projects to Industry 4.0 (case study) that were conducted in selected enterprises. The paper presents the key components of the framework of Industry 4.0 and the basic stage of implementing the concept in the enterprises, paying attention to their sequence and time frames. The proposed approach is dedicated to researchers and practitioners who implement the concept of Industry 4.0 in enterprises.

Digitalisation and Innovation in the Steel Industry in Poland—Selected Tools of ICT in an Analysis of Statistical Data and a Case Study

“…The steel sector, similar to other process industries, is gradually implementing changes. The change strategies towards Industry 4.0 are long-term plans [23]. The performed analysis of the digitalisation of metallurgy in the period from 2020 to 2018 indicates that users of the new IC technologies are in the minority (except for the use of computers and Internet access).…”

“…Without digital technology, it is no longer possible to do business in a global economy. Digitalisation is part of the framework for Industry 4.0 [23,24].…”

Transitioning of Steel Producers to the Steelworks 4.0—Literature Review with Case Studies

“…The scope of changes is segmented and staged. Individual plants choose the scope of the changes [20]. The benchmarks on the steel market are strong capital groups that are leaders in world steel production.…”

“…There is a research gap in the literature about the characteristics of Industry 4.0 in steel organizations, and can be named as steelworks 4.0 [16][17][18]. The problem with differences between steelworks 3.0 and steelworks 4.0 is not well described in the international literature and is still worth investigating [5,19,20]. Especially important and interesting are problems connected with the digitalization of the steel industry.…”

Leadership Competencies in Making Industry 4.0 Effective: The Case of Polish Heat and Power Industry

“…Leaders at the strategic level are expected to be creative in building Industry 4.0, while leaders at the operational level, i.e., technical staff above all, are expected to be able to apply technology [109,110]. Companies operating in different sectors require different skills of their employees, as these sectors differ in terms of the implementation of Industry 4.0 [111]. Each energy sector-the various sources of energy-has its own leaders; for this reason, the competence profiles are different, especially at the level of technical competence backed up by specialist knowledge.…”