Dominik T. Matt holds the Chair for Production Systems and Technologies and heads the Industrial Engineering and Automation (IEA) research department in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy. Dominik is also the Director of Fraunhofer Italia, the largest applied research organization in Europe.
Vladimír Modrák is Professor of Manufacturing Technology at the Technical University of Kosice in Slovakia, where he previously studied. His research interests include cellular manufacturing design, mass-customized manufacturing and planning, and scheduling optimization. Since 2015 he has been a Fellow of the European Academy for Industrial Management (AIM).
Helmut Zsifkovits is Professor of Industrial Logistics at Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Austria, having previously studied at the University of Graz, Austria. His research interests revolve around logistics systems engineering, supply chain strategy and operations management. As well as teaching at universities in Austria, Latvia, Colombia and Germany, Helmut has professional experience in the automotive industry, logistics consultancy and IT.
This open access book explores the concept of Industry 4.0, which presents a considerable challenge for the production and service sectors. While digitization initiatives are usually integrated into the central corporate strategy of larger companies, smaller firms often have problems putting Industry 4.0 paradigms into practice. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) possess neither the human nor financial resources to systematically investigate the potential and risks of introducing Industry 4.0. Addressing this obstacle, the international team of authors focuses on the development of smart manufacturing concepts, logistics solutions and managerial models specifically for SMEs. Aiming to provide methodological frameworks and pilot solutions for SMEs during their digital transformation, this innovative and timely book will be of great use to scholars researching technology management, digitization and small business, as well as practitioners within manufacturing companies.