Industry 4.0 Readiness Calculation-Transitional Strategy Definition by Decision Support Systems.

The digitization of the manufacturing industry, 10 years after the introduction of the Industry 4.0 concept, is still one of the most demanding tasks for the companies, especially for SMEs. As one of the biggest barriers in new business model implementation, the lack of strategy and workforce skills is frequently mentioned in the literature. The high level of investments it requires and the perception of high risks with unclear future benefits can be avoided with readiness factor calculation. This paper presents a novel model for readiness factor calculation, oriented to process planning and based on decision support systems. The model enables the definition of the optimal strategic plan for the digitization with the use of decision support systems (analytic hierarchy process) and through the use of statistical methods implemented within the model it minimizes the influence of human subjectivity and quantification of qualitative criteria. This innovative approach enables the understanding of the transition process to new technology-enabled business models, in this case oriented towards process planning. The useability and reliability of the model is proven in a case study of a metal machining company.

The impact of the applied technology on health and productivity in manual "picker-to-part" systems.

BACKGROUND: Manual "picker-to-part" order picking takes place in a labour-intensive and time-consuming working environment where humans are the central actors and co-determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the process. Throughout Europe, work-related musculoskeletal disorders affect millions of workers, especially in the logistics sector, and cost employers billions of euros. OBJECTIVE: This paper studies how order pickers relate the use of technology as well as their relationship with the logistics company to their well-being, health and productivity. METHODS: To obtain data, a survey consisting of questions regarding work characteristics, health problems and the logistics company's relationship with employees was conducted in Poland, Slovenia and Croatia. RESULTS: Workers who carry most items manually experience more health problems than cart and forklift users. The most common complaint is lower back pain - only 6% of order pickers (n = 221) never experienced it. The use of barcode or RFID scanner/terminal/smart phone correlates with more health problems than the use of other technologies. Participation in the selection of transport means or in training on health preservation can reduce the perceived health problems. CONCLUSIONS: Workers' perception of the impact of the applied technology on health and productivity can differ from the impact that is calculated or measured. Through their relationship with employees, logistics companies can influence employees' perception of their health problems.