With the advent of the fourth Industrial Revolution Manufacturing is rapidly becoming internationally interlinked. This change is offering a better and more efficient way to manage all the different processes within industry. The increase of Automation in production processes and smart systems of machines able to communicate with each other and with operators through the Internet of Things revolutionize the factory shop-floor.  Manufacturing companies should digitalize all their horizontal and vertical integrations, so to secure their sustainability in tomorrow’s industrial digital ecosystems. However, new business models and new working spaces in manufacturing require a greater need for technical knowledge, digital and soft skills development.

Scientific research needs to enhance sharing and advance specific knowledge in smart manufacturing systems/networks, flexible processes and automated machine tools that characterize Industry 4.0, while taking advantage of Cyber-Physical Systems, Internet of Things, Cloud Manufacturing, and Big Data Analytics.

Manufacturing scientific community is expected to generate world class breakthroughs and help in turning digital innovation into new manufacturing knowledge. Manufacturing education paradigm has to change rapidly in order to provide industry with a new generation of engineers owning a digital culture.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Industry 4.0 & Cyber-Physical Systems
• Machine 4.0 & Operator 4.0
• Internet of Things and Smart Sensing
• Cloud Manufacturing
• Social Media in Manufacturing
• Advanced Human-Robot Collaboration
• Smart systems via Big Data Analytics
• Product Service System Engineering
• Adaptive Self-learning Systems
• Lean Manufacturing and Design
• Virtual, Digital, Smart Factories
• Customisation and Personalisation
• Value-adding Networks and Logistics
• Rapid Manufacturing

• Predictive Maintenance & Lifecycle Management

The authors of a selected number of high-quality papers, will be invited to expand their manuscripts and submit them to a Special Issue of International Journal of Integrated Manufacturing (IJCIM). For more information refer to the "Special Issues" page (page link).