Brazil

In recent years, learning factories have evolved into key experimental environments in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In addition to their role as training centers for skilled workers, they also serve as real-world research laboratories. This issue of Industry 4.0 Science examines learning factories as venues for exploring new approaches and technologies—whether digital assistants, cobots, serious games, or digital twins.

Manufacturing firms in developing countries face challenges in closing productivity gaps while adopting Industry 4.0 technologies. Learning factories are one helpful approach to countering these challenges. One such example is the learning factory Fábrica do Futuroin São Paulo, Brazil, which has engaged students, supported competence development, and collaborated with industry in applied research, functioning as a hub for advanced manufacturing initiatives.

This study deals with the problem of collaborative maritime transportation between manufactured export industries and maritime carriers as well as its relationships polices applied to the Brazilian case. The general maritime exportation mechanism is very comprehensive and complex with several variables (volumes, capacity of the ships, prices, maritime fees) and agents such as industries and carriers. To understand the patterns of transition from the system and its long-term behaviour, the System Dynamics’ approach is presented in order to start modelling the problem. This method allows improving the analysis of the global behaviour of the export network. For further implementation, some recommendations are given.