The development of the Industry 4.0 concept offers completely new technologies’ enablers using high level of automation and digitalization. There is a huge challenge for enterprises not only due to the application of modern technologies (such as Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, etc.) related to the creation of Cyber-Physical Systems but also for a human resources development. Scientists and practitioners pay a lot of attention to technological changes in enterprises, but relatively little research is conducted on the issue of human resources development. The problem becomes more interesting in light of the Industry 4.0 era which resulted in changes in the employment structure, requirements for future industrial employees and managerial staff and also to the approach to the education process. The changing demand for skills is a quite well-researched topic in economics and management, but the changing skill demand for the Industry 4.0 is just the newest case of a quite old debate. The case of Industry 4.0 seems to be a particular case for the general change in skill demand due to digitalization. The main aim of the paper is to indicate the key areas of required knowledge and skills of employees essential to implement the Industry 4.0 concept. They are identified on the basis of a critical literature analysis and the conducted survey of selected industrial enterprises. The results of this research are particularly important for adapting the employee training system and the education process for students.

The fourth industrial (r)evolution called Industry 4.0 transfers production to a different dimension of productivity, flexibility and also mobility. Enterprises using advanced technologies such as Mobile Technologies, Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, etc. and using intelligent resources (e.g. mobile devices, mechatronic machines, means of transport) communicating with each other via the Internet in real time can produce customized products quickly and at low cost. On the one hand the Industry 4.0 concept creates great benefits for the client, and on the other hand raises challenges for industrial enterprises. There is a need to improve existing and create new business models that will combine the potential of many enterprises and together create innovative, very modern production networks based on mobile technologies and the Internet of Things. The article presents the results of research about the creation of innovative production networks operating in the environment of advanced technologies within the Industry 4.0. The aim of the research is to develop the concept of creating temporary Cyber Industry Networks based on e-business platforms that integrate dispersed enterprise resources through mobile devices and mobile software, creating a temporary network in the situation of emerging business opportunities. The main benefit of such networks is the ability to manufacture products through geographically dispersed corporate resources. The Cyber Industry Network allows business processes through the integration of mobile technologies in real time to be managed, and enables to reduce costs, improve flexibility, and as a result increase the competitiveness of manufacturing enterprises.

The globalization process and the marginalization of Europe in world production prompted the German economy to implement the Industry 4.0 concept called the fourth industrial revolution. As a part of the proposed concept, a close connection of physical objects with the information network should be made. Enterprises will connect by intelligent resources communicating through the modern Internet of Things technologies, big data, and cloud computing. Therefore modern enterprises have a new further challenge which means a need to build and cooperate within cyber-physical systems. The aim of the article is to present key challenges for Polish small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises oriented to the cooperation within the Industry 4.0 concept. Furthermore, the results of surveys conducted on a selected group of Polish production companies in the metal sector are shown. These results present the condition of Polish enterprises, their concerns and expectations regarding the implementation of the Industry 4.0 concept. The paper contains also the new idea to create the Cyber Industry Network (CIN) which means a kind of the on-line available platform for exchanging production capacity of small and medium enterprises and allows for the efficient combining of free resources to realize joint production projects.