Managing Manufacturing Knowledge in Europe in the Era of Industry 4.0

Manufacturing companies need to adapt to the requirements of functioning in the era of Industry 4.0 and major technological disruptions. The use of knowledge-based decision support tools has also become necessary in order for enterprises to survive in a competitive environment. This book offers a new approach to designing the knowledge management process and integrating it with the implementation of Industry 4.0 technology.

The book presents the methods used in a customer-oriented organisation for management of manufacturing knowledge. More specifically, methods for defining and collecting customer requirements are presented and methods on how to receive manufacturing knowledge, as well as how to formalise the acquired knowledge using key technologies of Industry 4.0, are discussed. The author also presents real case studies from Western and Central Europe and offers recommendations for the production manager. The instrumentation of methods and tools to support knowledge management, in the production of individualised products presented therein, will allow the manufacturing company to be transformed digitally into a customer-oriented organisation operating in accordance with the assumptions of Industry 4.0.

This book will be a valuable read for production researchers, academicians, PhD students and postgraduate-level students of industrial engineering and industrial management. The practical case studies will also make the book a useful resource for managers of manufacturing enterprises.

Justyna Patalas-Maliszewska is a professor at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Zielona Góra. In her scientific work, she focusses her research on computational intelligence in production, modelling and designing methods and also on the tools and solutions in support of the manufacturing companies. She has been awarded many international scholarships, including several under the Framework Programme UE, Ministry of Science and Higher Education, DAAD. She is the author of over 200 scientific publications, including scientific monographs and articles in hugely significant and impactful journals; she is also the author of many expert opinions and recommendations for the enterprises, at both the regional and national level.

She has carried out various international research projects, in information systems, including several under the Interreg Programme UE, as well as several for companies and the National Laboratory. She has given numerous lectures, both in Poland and abroad; these include lectures at the Universities of West Bohemia in Pilsen/the Czech Republic, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg/Germany, the Technical University in Chemnitz/Germany and the Technical University in Vienna/Austria. She is a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences of the Committee of Production Engineering, of the Polish Society for Production Management and the Polish Society for Innovation Management.