Production research literature and industry practice have started to pay increasing attention to the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) phenomenon. Scholars and practitioners identified a strong link between this paradigm and the well-known Lean Production (LP) paradigm. Most studies consider LP as a prerequisite of I4.0 and I4.0 as a tool to overcome LP limits and boost its practices. However, so far, these effects have been studied only at a high level, without an in-depth and comprehensive pairwise analysis at a practice-technology level. Moreover, few empirical studies have been carried out on this topic. Our paper attempts to fill these gaps by conducting a multiple case studies research to explain the one-to-one relationships between LP techniques and I4.0 technologies, and vice versa. More specifically, the one-to-one analysis examines the enabling effect of LP on I4.0 and the empowering effect of I4.0 on LP. Based on the empirical analyses, we propose a framework on the relationships between the two paradigms structured into six areas drawn from previous research (i.e. manufacturing equipment and processes, shop-floor management, workforce management, new product development, supplier relationships, customer relationships). Such representation clarifies the interdependence of the two paradigms in the whole supply chain.

Bigger companies have been the main adopters of Industry 4.0. However, small- and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are significant economic and employment contributors in the European Union and the United States. For a successful application of Industry 4.0, customized implementation strategies and approaches as well as adapted concepts and technological solutions are needed. The paper presents requirements and barriers for introducing smart manufacturing in SMEs. These items were identified throughout the research project "SME 4.0 - Industry 4.0 for SMEs" by using expert workshops with SMEs from the United States, Central Europe and Northern Thailand. The results informs recommendations for managerial action to support an appropriate adaptation of Industry 4.0 technologies and concepts into SMEs.

In the future, long-established paradigms of production will still have to continue to change in order to meet the demand for even more individuality, customer-specific product variants and shortest delivery times within the meaning of the term "production on demand". Therefore, in the future, the concept of the Distributed Manufacturing by geographically distributed production systems plays an increasingly important role. New and innovative ways of organizing production operations will be needed. Particularly due to the increasingly loud request for a sustainable and ecologically production and distribution decentralized manufacturing systems are an ideal approach, because the production takes place closer to the customer. It needs modern organizational models for small, flexible and scalable production units in decentralized production networks, which take into account the local and individual customer needs and produce as possible locally. This paper presents the drivers for the trend towards decentralized and distributed manufacturing systems. In addition, the paper gives a complete overview of traditional and modern forms of geographically distributed production and the prospect of new and partly visionary development directions. The paper examines the range of the concept of Distributed Manufacturing starting from standardized factories to visionary generative manufacturing units according the concept of Cloud-Production

More and more educational organizations promote hands-on training models to prepare their students for professional life. Also in the field of engineering the application of case studies and business games is becoming more common, which are intended to simulate the situation in real life giving the students the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge in practice. Some universities have just proven the use of so-called "learning factories" in addition to the traditional classroom environment for teaching in planning and the design of flexible manufacturing systems. These learning factories correspond to small and flexible production and assembly units for practice and for training. The Faculty of Science and Technology of the Free University of Bolzano decided in 2012 to set up a learning factory named "mini-factory" with the scope of a more practice-oriented education in engineering. This paper shows the concept of the "mini-factory" and the impressions and results of its application in the lectures. In addition, the paper gives an outlook of the collaboration between university and business giving also to small and medium sized enterprises the opportunity to qualify their personal in the mini-factory infrastructure

A growing number of manufacturing companies are working on the implementation of sustainable manufacturing and business processes. The objective of sustainable manufacturing initiatives is the creation of products by means of energy-efficient and resource-saving manufacturing systems. Furthermore, customer satisfaction will be achieved in future not only through the creation of products, but also through socially and environmentally responsible as well as economically efficient concepts of manufacturing avoiding negative effects for society. Distributed manufacturing systems (DMS) are currently discussed in science as a possible approach for the realization of sustainable manufacturing. Decentralized networks of adaptable and flexible mini-factories are not only helpful to reduce emissions through reduction of transports, but also serve for the growth and development of regional economic cycles. This paper gives an overview of trends towards DMS as well as reasons and arguments why Distributed Manufacturing Systems are appropriate concepts for more sustainable manufacturing

Engineer-to-order (ETO) construction companies are characterized by an off-site and on-site production. Often, budget deviations for installation works on-site are identified in a late stage when improvement actions cannot be applied anymore. Consequently, installation tasks are often affected by significant delays and/or reworks. This work proposes a “real-time” capable approach for planning and monitoring in construction and a corresponding information technology (IT) framework. The core is represented by the so-called “pitching” concept known from lean management, which breaks down large job orders into smaller controllable parts. It can be considered as the main enabler for gathering management information in real-time and to identify problems and their causes on time. The most noticeable consequence lies in smaller jobs and a software-aided punctual control that allows a better rescheduling capability and, thus reduced, delays. A case study is provided, showing how the model was applied and validated in an ETO façade supplier company.