The evolution of production systems from Industry 2.0 through Industry 4.0

TLDR

This paper reviews how production systems have evolved from Industry 2.0 to 4.0 to align supply with changing customer demand, highlighting key systems such as flow line, TPS, job shop, cell, flexible manufacturing, and seru. The study aims to examine how each production system addresses the questions of what it is and how it operates, and to explore the implications of Industry 4.0 technologies—such as IoT, 3D printing, and changing product architecture—for future smart factories. The authors analyze the role of IoT‑enabled smart factories, the evolving demand dimensions of Industry 4.0, and the influence of 3D printing and product architecture changes on production system design. The paper compares seru with TPS and cell, and demonstrates how lean and seru principles can be applied in Industry 4.0 contexts.

Abstract

This paper discusses production systems with a focus on the relationships between product supply and customer demand in the context of Industry 2.0–4.0. One driver of production evolution is changes in customer demand over time, which is categorised into several dimensions. Major production systems – flow line, Toyota production system (TPS), job shop, cell, flexible manufacturing system and seru – have been developed and applied to supplies to match different demand dimensions over time. For each production system, two questions are addressed: what and how. Comparisons between seru with TPS and cell are given. The possibilities of a future smart factory equipped with internet of things are discussed. The demand dimensions of Industry 4.0, the product architecture change in the automobile industry and the impact of 3D printing are elaborated. Potential applications of lean and seru principles for Industry 4.0 are presented.