Sustainability, as well as the sustainable use of resources and related issues, has inspired a long-lasting and lively debate among scholars of different disciplines. Due to under-investigation of several of the sustainability-related challenges, this paper aims to better understand the system dynamics that, supported by some digital enablers (e.g., digital technologies and platforms), boost the sustainability of complex service systems such as healthcare. To this end, the theoretical meta-model of interaction types, which inspired the prototype digital platform dedicated to the online delivery of health-related services, is presented. Moreover, some healthcare usage scenarios, based on the prototype’s functions, are analysed and discussed. This allows understanding of how important the role of technologies and, in particular, digital platforms, are in empowering actors and in making them willing to interact, and share their own resources in continually new ways. This paves the way for ongoing value co-creation, which is essential for healthcare system sustainability.

We derived a promising approach to reducing the energy consumption necessary in manufacturing processes from the combination of management methodologies and Industry 4.0 technologies. Based on a literature review and experts’ opinions, this work contributes to the efficient use of energy in batch production processes combining the analysis of the overall equipment effectiveness with the study of variables managed by cyber-physical production systems. Starting from the analysis of loss cause identification, we propose a method that obtains quantitative data about energy losses during the execution of batch processes. The contributions of this research include the acquisition of precise information about energy losses and the improvement of value co-creation practices so that energy consumption can be reduced in manufacturing processes. Decision-makers can use the findings to start a virtuous process aiming at carbon footprint and energy costs reductions while ensuring production goals are met.

Facility management is an evolving discipline that has received attention from both professionals and researchers in recent years. Modern facility management considers various interests related to material resources, and among others, social and environmental interests. An important opportunity for the improvement of this discipline derives from the introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies for the management of material resources. In this paper, we shall study the problem of industrial facility management, an area with important economic implications. Starting from a facility management model for the maintenance of industrial assets, we develop a general approach to maintenance based on the Internet of Things and Cyber-Physical Systems, which allows us to reason about the implementation of an effective Organisational Facility Management Unit. The objective is the continuous improvement of maintenance activities, from which also derives the improvement of the production process performance.

The technologies of Industry 4.0 provide an opportunity to improve the effectiveness of Visual Management in manufacturing. The opportunity of improvement is twofold. From one side, Visual Management theory and practice can inspire the design of new software tools suitable for Industry 4.0; on the other side, the technology of Industry 4.0 can be used to increase the effectiveness of visual software tools. The paper first explores how the theoretical result on Visual Management can be used as a guideline to improve human-computer interaction, then a methodology is proposed for the design of visual patterns for manufacturing. Four visual patterns are presented that contribute to the solution of problems frequently encountered in discrete manufacturing industries; these patterns help to solve planning and control problems thus providing support to various management functions. Positive implications of this research concern people engagement and empowerment as well as improved problem solving, decision-making and management of manufacturing processes.

Safeguarding and conservation of cultural heritage is an important issue that requires both theoretical knowledge and practical implementation to effectively protect this valuable asset. In recent years, new technologies have enabled the development of advanced monitoring and control systems that can provide more precise and timely information about the condition of heritage buildings. Additionally, these systems can collect and analyze a large amount of data, allowing decision-makers to make informed decisions regarding maintenance and other management processes. With a situational awareness model proposed for heritage building conservation as a starting point, this work outlines how the design and implementation of a cyber-physical system to support conservation processes can be done. The model combines decisional processes that involve both humans and automated systems and can be used as a guideline for the realization of decision support systems for the management of heritage buildings. The paper provides a case study describing the steps for the realization of a cyber-physical system for automated monitoring and control at the Royal Palace of Carditello, a prominent cultural attraction in Italy.

Today, historic villages represent a widespread and relevant reality of the Italian administrative structure. To preserve their value for future generations, smart city applications can contribute to implement effective monitoring and decision-making processes devoted to safeguarding their fragile ecosystem. Starting from a situational awareness model, this study proposes a method for designing human-in-the-loop cyber-physical systems that allow the design of monitoring and decision-making applications for historic villages. Both the model and the design method can be used as a reference for the realization of human-in-the-loop cyber-physical systems that consist of human beings, smart objects, edge devices, and cloud components in edge-cloud architectures. The output of the research, consisting of the graphical models for the definition of monitoring architectures and the method for the design of human-in-the-loop cyber-physical systems, was validated in the context of the village of Sant’Agata dei Goti through the implementation of a human-in-the-loop cyber-physical system for monitoring sites aiming at their management, conservation, protection, and fruition.