The paper presents a general concept of smart design and production control as key elements for efficient operation of a smart factory. The authors present various techniques that aid the design process of individualized products and organization of their production in the context of realization of the mass customization strategy, which allows a shortened time of development for a new product. Particular attention was paid to integration of additive manufacturing technologies and virtual reality techniques, which are a base of the so-called hybrid prototyping.

The article presents the results of research on the impact of virtual reality on the effectiveness of training employees performing production tasks. The research was carried out in the Smart Factory laboratory, which is a model of a smart factory functioning in accordance with the concept of Industry 4.0. A prototype VR system and its building process were presented, starting with the digitization of the laboratory, through logical programming and connecting peripheral devices. The subject, scope and plan of conducting comparative studies of operator training at both real production stations and in a virtual environment were presented. As a criterion for comparing the results achieved by individual groups subject to the study, the following were adopted: the time to complete the production task and the number of non-compliant products achieved in real conditions.

This paper presents the results of the use of the Single Minute Exchange of Die method to shorten changeover time on machines in a polish production company. This project has been developed for a manufacturing company, whose products are fiberboard, hardboard and softboard products manufactured by a highly specialized industry using only pure wood fibers. Long changeover times used to conduct to bad results in timely delivery of orders. Therefore, in this work each element of the changeover time was analyzed to understand if it could be eliminated, moved or simplified. Implemented solutions significantly reduce setup time and improve the Company's competitiveness.