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THE 28th International Air and Space Show at Le Bourget will be the largest yet held. One hundred and twenty‐five British companies will be taking part and this number represents well over 90 per cent of the British aerospace industry's production and research capacity. The theme of British participants will be ‘Aerospace through the Seventies’ and displays will include illustrations of projects for the next decade, as well as current products and research programmes. The Salon has been organized so that each day will be devoted to emphasizing a particular aspect of aeronautical activity: 29th May Press Preview; 30th May Official Opening Day; 31st May Philatelists Day and Aerospace Orientation Day; 1st June General and Business Aviation; 2nd June Aeromedical Aviation; 3rd June Electronics Industry; 4th June Equipment Industry; 5th June Rotary Wing Industry and Special Steel Studies; 6th June Foreign Missions Day; 1th June International Flying Display; 8th June International Air Display. The Show will be open to the public every day from 9.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., except on Friday 6th June which will be Foreign Missions Day and admission will then be by invitation only.

This study establishes an ontology-based framework for rework risk identification (RRI) by integrating heterogeneous data from the information flow of the prefabricated construction (PC) process. The main objective is to enhance the automation level of rework management and reduce the degree of reliance on human factors and manual operations.

The proposed framework comprises four levels aimed at managing dispersed rework risk knowledge and integrating heterogeneous data. The functionalities were realised through an integrated ontology that aligned the rework risk ontology with the PC ontology. The ontologies were developed and edited with Protégé. Ultimately, the potential benefit of the framework was validated through a case study and an expert questionnaire survey.

The framework is proven to effectively manage rework risk knowledge and can identify risk objects, clarify risk factors, determine risk events, and retrieve risk measures, thereby enabling the pre-identification of prefabricated rework risk (PRR) and improving the automation level. This study is meaningful and lays the foundation for the application of other computer methods in rework management research and practice in the future.

This research provides insights into the application of ontology to solve rework risk issues in the PC process and introduces a novel risk management method for future prefabricated project research and practice. The findings have significant theoretical value in terms of enriching the methods of risk assessment and control and the information management system of prefabricated projects.

This paper reports on the support activities for the development and application of industrial robots in the frame of the research programmes “Humanization of Working Life” and “Manufacturing Technology”, including some organizational aspects of these activities.

Welding has been one of the leading applications for industrial robots since they were first introduced in the late 1970s. The majority of the early installations were spot welding applications in the automotive industry and by the mid “80 s it was unusual to see a car plant without a couple of hundred robots wielding spot‐weld guns.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the combined impact of radio frequency identification (RFID), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Blockchain technologies on supply chain transparency (SCT).

Data from 211 US manufacturing managers is analyzed using a covariance-based structural equation modeling methodology.

The structural model fits the data relatively well. RFID technology directly and positively impact both IIoT and Blockchain technologies which, in turn, directly and positively impact SCT. RFID technology indirectly affects SCT through both IIoT technology and Blockchain technology.

This study is the first to empirically assess the impact of RFID, IIoT and Blockchain technologies on SCT. First-wave empirical studies must be replicated to support generalization of the findings.

This study provides empirical evidence to support the implementation of a combination of RFID, IIoT and Blockchain technologies as infrastructure necessary to achieve end-to-end SCT.

New measurement scales for IIoT technology utilization and Blockchain technology utilization are developed and assessed for validity and reliability. This is the first study to assess the combined impact of RFID, IIoT and Blockchain technologies on SCT.

Automation hand‐in‐hand with a determined management and a dedicated workforce have helped Tl Apollo turn round its golf shaft business. Brian Rooks visited the Oldbury factory to find out how.

Asserts that the “millennium bug” debate generated by UK Government activity, PR and media activity is at last gathering momentum. Enlightened business people are already well down the track of preparing their companies for potential problems. However, the more sceptical, ill‐informed or ostrich‐headed are still looking for an easy way out, if they are looking at all. They are being selective in the message they choose to hear and minimalist in the solutions they adopt. This is building a significant problem. One of the results of these circumstances is that advertisements that promise a “total confidence” solution through the purchase and use of a simple floppy disk are grasped and believed in a literal sense. In reality these “solutions” while valuable, are at best only partial. At worst, relying on this alone could put an organisation into a terminal risk situation. Suggests an “enterprise‐wide” or “business process” solution ‐ based on the risk exposure unique to the individual business.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the combined impact of the Industry 4.0 blockchain and industrial internet of things technology (IIoT) technologies on the development of supply chain linkages associated with power, benefits and risk reduction and the ultimate impact of the linkages on supply chain performance.

A structural model with blockchain and IIoT as antecedents to the supply chain power, benefits and risk reduction linkages and the linkages as antecedent to supply chain performance is theorized. Data collected from 303 US manufacturing managers are analyzed using a covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB/SEM) methodology.

The CB/SEM results indicate that blockchain technology does not directly impact implementation of the linkages. Rather, implementation of blockchain technology supports implementation of IIoT technology, which strengthens supply chain linkages, thereby improving supply chain performance.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to provide empirical evidence that Industry 4.0 technologies such as blockchain and IIoT strengthen linkages among supply chain partners related to power, benefits and risk reduction and that those stronger linkages lead to improved supply chain performance. It should be noted that this study is based on data from managers representing only one sector (manufacturing) and one country (USA). Replication based on data from other sectors and countries is needed to support generalization of the results.

Practitioners are provided with empirical evidence that the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies such as blockchain and IIoT support supply chain management. These technologies facilitate data and information sharing among supply chain partners, enabling the integration and coordination of business processes throughout the entire supply chain.

The ultimate customers of supply chains benefit when supply chain partners work together efficiently and effectively. The implementation of blockchain and IIoT digital technologies lead to improve linkages among supply chain partners driving improvements in both efficiency and effectiveness, thus benefiting customers and society.

Industry 4.0 technologies are relatively new with the promise of improved supply chain performance. The efficacy of Industry 4.0 technologies as mechanisms to enhance information sharing is demonstrated based on the results of this study.