Abstract
In recent years, the industrial environment has been changing radically due to the introduction of concepts and technologies based on the fourth industrial revolution (also known as Industry 4.0). The fourth industrial revolution should extend to the whole production and supply chain and not only, like in the past revolutions, to the mechanical manufacturing process of products and the associated process organization. Production based on the principles of Industry 4.0 creates the conditions necessary to replace traditional structures, which are based on centralized decision-making mechanisms and rigid organizational forms. These structures are replaced by flexible reconfigurable manufacturing and logistics systems, decentralized and collaborative decision-making mechanisms, as well as digitally supported processes. Additionally, SMEs have moved into the focus of many economies. Due to their flexibility, entrepreneurial spirit, and innovation capabilities, SMEs have proved to be more robust than large and multi-national enterprises. Small organizations are increasingly proactive in improving their operational processes, which is a good starting point for introducing the new concepts of Industry 4.0. The successful implementation of an industrial revolution like Industry 4.0 has to take place not only in large enterprises, but must also show a high potential, especially in SMEs. The readiness of SME-adapted Industry 4.0 concepts and the organizational capability of SMEs to meet this challenge exist only in some areas. This reveals the need for further research and action plans for preparing SMEs in a technical and organizational direction. Therefore, special research and investigations are needed for the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies and concepts in SMEs. SMEs will only achieve Industry 4.0 by following SME-customized implementation strategies and approaches and realizing SME-adapted concepts and technological solutions. Thus, this Special Issue represents a collection of theoretical models as well as practical case studies related to the introduction of Industry 4.0 concepts in small- and medium-sized enterprises.