Design

Artificial intelligence is often mentioned often mentioned in the same context as Industry 4.0, but the exact role of AI is unclear. Is AI just another 4IR technology or an essential "enabler" for other 4IR technologies? Six experts assess the impact of AI on 41 4IR technologies. AI could indeed be a decisive factor in unleashing the full potential of Industry 4.0.

The decarbonization of the energy sector is crucial for a climate-neutral EU, as a large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions come from energy use. Especially the wind energy sector, with its high material costs, faces major challenges. The rapid expansion of wind energy requires innovative solutions to establish sustainable End-of-Life (EoL) management practices. A digital decision-making framework for sustainable EoL strategies is therefore extremely useful.

The transformation in production offers the chance to redesign existing value chains. Cooperation between various ecological, social and governmental stakeholders is seen as particularly key to sustainable development. However, little research has been conducted into how companies can best manage the resulting interdependencies. Agriculture is used as an example to examine how businesses can activate resources along the value chain.

Advances in information and communication technology (ICT) are opening up new opportunities for virtual collaboration. Shared leadership is a promising modern concept for overcoming challenges in the areas of communication, knowledge sharing and company loyalty. Empirical findings on shared leadership in virtual teams can shape recommendations on how successful leadership can support the virtualization of teamwork.

Digital technologies are crucial for the competitiveness and innovative capacity of industry. While Industry 4.0 strives for greater efficiency through the intelligent networking of people, machines and information systems, the concept of Industry 5.0 focuses on people—and defines their well-being and identification capabilities as crucial to the success of digitalization. An analysis of their success factors can only help.

The EU Strategy for sustainable and circular textiles aims to reduce the industry’s environmental impact while at the same time increasing its competitiveness. In this transition towards circularity, firms in the highly fragmented textile value chains need solutions that help overcome barriers and provide support. This paper presents digital solutions that are particularly suited for SMEs and that have been developed with public funding. It aims at encouraging SMEs, not only from the textile industry, to specify their individual transition paths towards circularity and to use digitalization to foster implementation.

Although the concept of double transformation is being intensely discussed in companies, the practical implementation in operational structures often remains unclear. This article sheds light on how digital technologies and environmental sustainability strategies can be developed either synergistically, antagonistically or independently of each other. In addition, it discusses the different experiences of employees in different industries and the varying progress in the introduction of digital and ecological measures. To this end, it will discuss existing research findings and practical examples that pave the way for the successful integration of both transformation processes in companies.

The double transformation describes the necessary change in the economy in the dimensions of ecology and digitalization. Motion capture systems offer new possibilities for recording and analyzing work processes in industrial assembly. They visualize motion sequences with high frequency, precision and resolution. The question therefore arises as to how the technology can be used in the context of digital transformation to further develop the analysis of work processes and the design of workplaces. Our article discusses this on the basis of solution principles and describes implementation principles for the development of upcoming digital assistance systems.