Digital platforms and data spaces are transforming industrial value creation and creating new opportunities for cross-organizational collaboration. At the same time, new requirements are emerging regarding data sovereignty, security, and governance. This issue of Industry 4.0 Science provides insights into the DynaVer research program, in which 15 interdisciplinary projects are investigating the dynamics of digitally networked value creation systems.

Immersive technologies are fundamentally transforming manufacturing. VR, AR, MR, and XR merge physical and digital worlds into interactive work environments. In Industry 4.0, they enable more intuitive access to planning, production, maintenance, and training. This issue of Industry 4.0 Science shows how immersive technologies are becoming a central building block of resilient, flexible, and innovative production systems.

With the increasing complexity of production and logistics systems, traditional factory planning approaches are reaching their limits. In this context, digital factory planning offers a promising solution for enabling well-informed decisions, particularly during the early planning phases. For startups, the optimal planning of a production facility is challenging, as they often operate with limited financial and infrastructural resources. This paper presents a methodological approach to digital factory planning that utilizes VR simulation for the layout planning of a factory hall for a young company in the solar industry. The proposed approach demonstrates how simulations can support the design of flexible production structures, particularly in startup environments.

Due to its dynamic environment, space planning in intralogistics is not a one-time task but a recurring decision-making process subject to numerous constraints imposed by existing infrastructure. Decisions are often based on incomplete data, resulting in a high risk of poor planning decisions and inefficient use of space. This paper presents a practice-oriented process model for space evaluation in brownfield projects. The proposed approach improves the standardization and consistency of space evaluation and promotes best practices among all stakeholders. By supporting systematic decision-making, the process model contributes to optimized planning and resource allocation, thereby reducing risks and avoiding costly implementation errors.The process model is demonstrated through a case study conducted at a commercial vehicle manufacturer.

Digitalization projects help users represent complex processes more simply and efficiently. However, there are many obstacles to implementation. Reluctance to implement these projects is palpable. This affects, among others, employers and employees, who may fall behind economically by waiting or avoiding change. These observations can be traced back to an overarching research question: What barriers and systemic challenges hinder sustainable transformation within the context of Industry 4.0, particularly when considering human labor in production engineering? What questions are the affected stakeholders asking? The primary goal of this long-term research project is to define these questions decisively and in detail in order to develop a conceptual foundation that integrates research, teaching, and technological development and thus combines the potential of digital technologies with the experiential and practical knowledge of production workers.

Thread forming requires precise lubricant application because high contact pressures and process temperatures strongly influence tool loading, friction, and process stability. Although minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) systems are widely used, current spray-based approaches can still suffer from spray losses, insufficient wetting of the thread grooves, and unstable droplet transport. This article presents a concept for adaptive precision lubrication in thread forming based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-supported flow analysis, experimental validation, and artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted optimization. The focus is on droplet size, spray jet geometry, nozzle position, ambient flow conditions, and their influence on wetting intensity. Preliminary simulation-based investigations indicate that data-driven optimization can help identify wetting deficiencies and support the development of future control strategies for resource-efficient lubricant application.

In the manufacturing industry, the integration of digital human models into the product development and manufacturing process is becoming increasingly important. Particularly in assembly, which is characterized by a high proportion of manual tasks, motion simulations enable a realistic representation of human work and thus make a significant contribution to the evaluation of motion economy, process validation, and efficiency improvement. However, widespread application in production planning faces various challenges, such as the high initial effort required to create human simulations as well as volatile planning conditions. This article presents a practice-oriented solution from the automotive assembly sector that enables the creation of simulations with reduced effort as well as their early and consistent use in the planning process.

Knowledge drives innovation, which is why digital platforms are increasingly used for knowledge transfer. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a global leader in digitalization and digital platforms are central to Chinese knowledge transfer and innovation systems. This study supplements theoretical concepts of knowledge transfer with empirical findings on the (further) development of relevant knowledge platforms. It examines the influence of specific design features on the functionality and quality of digital knowledge platforms. A literature review identifies seven condensed success criteria. Nine leading Chinese knowledge platforms are categorized based on their transfer logic and functional scope. Online survey participants assess the platform-specific manifestations of the identified criteria and highlight potential and areas for improvement in platform-based knowledge transfer.

Swivel bending is an established forming process that minimizes material loss and enables efficient use of resources. However, the process requires complex optimizations that have traditionally relied heavily on the expertise of machine operators. This results in significant time and material costs, as optimization steps are performed iteratively. Given the shortage of skilled workers, a technological upgrade of the machines in line with Industry 4.0 is necessary. As part of a research project, intelligent sensor technology was used to record critical influencing factors that reveal correlations between product defects and machine deformations. Based on this, a methodology was developed that forms the foundation for inline compensation, enabling the equipment to autonomously adjust process parameters to correct product defects and, in the long term, enable defect-free production from the very first component.

Digital twins are a key enabling technology of the fourth industrial revolution, integrating physical systems with their digital counterparts to create intelligent, data-driven environments. This conceptual/practice-oriented paper examines how to establish a modern architectural framework for digital twins leverages modern tech-stack like IoT, Data Fabric, AI/ML, seamless integration and enterprise grade security. The paper is grounded in an abundance of literature by leading vendors and analysts in space. It offers a comparative study of different vendors implementing the solution stack in the proposed architecture.