Implementing Industry 4.0 in Discrete Manufacturing: Options and Drawbacks

Abstract The Industry 4.0 concept embodies a topic widely discussed during specialized meetings and tutorials. Originally, this approach was interpreted as an attempt to shift industrial processes towards establishing the fully digitized smart factory; at present, however, it already exerts an influence on many other fields and disciplines. In this article, the concept is described from the perspective of discrete manufacturing. The implementation possibilities are outlined, with options such as the Asset Administrative Shell or Consumer-Provider model introduced in greater detail. We also mention some drawbacks to implementing job shop scheduling as provided by the latter option; these disadvantages include, for instance, the deadlock situation. Some methods to solve the problem are demonstrated to facilitate well-balanced presentation. A job shop scheduling algorithm using the AAS is also addressed, and a new evaluation function is proposed.