Special Issue on Automation Analytics Beyond Industry 4.0: From Hybrid Strategy to Zero-Defect Manufacturing

Most traditional industries or emerging countries may not be capable of directly transiting to Industry 4.0. To fill the gap between as-is Industry 3.0 and to-be Industry 4.0, some disruptive innovations from automation and industrial engineering identify best practice with adopting cost-effective semi-automated systems to manage the potential socio-economic impacts of infrastructure disruptions, while considering total resource management for sustainability. This is the so-called "hybrid strategy (HS)," or "Industry 3.5." On the other hand, the current Industry 4.0-related technologies should also emphasize quality enhancement to achieve "zero-defect manufacturing (ZDM)," also referred to as "Industry 4.1." ZDM is a systematic strategy to realize the goal of Zero Defects, which includes two phases. Phase I: accomplish Zero Defects of all the deliverables by applying efficient and economical total-quality-inspection techniques; and Phase II: further ensure Zero Defects of all the products gradually by improving the yield with big data analytics and continuous improvement. Both the challenges and opportunities from HS to ZDM have significantly expanded the scope of traditional automation science and engineering.