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To review the state-of-the-art in smart remanufacturing, highlighting key elements of an Industry 4.0 (I4.0) future that supports circular economy (CE) principles and offer a conceptual framework and research agenda to accelerate digitalisation in this sector.

The Scopus, Web of Science and ScienceDirect databases and search terms “Industry 4.0”, “Internet of things”, “Smart manufacturing” and “Remanufacturing” were used to identify and select publications that had evidence of a relationship between those keywords. The 329 selected papers were reviewed with respect to the triple bottom line (economic, social and environmental). The study benefited from advanced text quantitative processing using NVivo software and a complete manual qualitative assessment.

Changes in product ownership models will affect the remanufacturing industry, with the growth of product-service-systems seen as an opportunity to re-circulate resources and create value. This is being supported by changes in society, user expectations and workforce attributes. Key to the success of remanufacturing in an I4.0 future is the uptake of existing and emerging digital technologies to shorten and strengthen links between product manufacturers, users and remanufacturers.

Remanufacturing is recognised as a key CE strategy, which in turn is an important research area for development in our society. This article is the first to study “smart remanufacturing” for the CE. Its uniqueness lies in its focus on the remanufacturing industry and the sustainable application of I4.0 enablers. The findings are used to create a framework that links to the research agenda needed to realise smart remanufacturing.

The objective of this study is to propose a sequence of implementation of the core characteristics of reconfigurability: modularity, integrability, diagnosability, adaptability and customization. For this purpose, the relationships among the core characteristics and Industry 4.0 technologies are analyzed as well as the impacts of one core characteristic on another.

This study presented tests and validated two hypothesized models based on the literature. This paper was based on a questionnaire survey. Portuguese manufacturing companies were the sampling frame. In total, 600 questionnaires were distributed and a total of 112 responses were eligible for statistical processing, representing a response rate of 18.7%. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to hypothesize the sequence of implementation of the core characteristics of reconfigurability.

The findings presented a roadmap to implement reconfigurability, which implies significant managerial contributions on how to make the transition from conventional to reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMSs). This highlights the importance of the sequence of implementation of the core characteristics in order to make the most of each to achieve reconfigurability.

Implementing reconfigurability is crucial to manufacturing companies to respond to changes in production requirements and market fluctuations quickly. However, there is a gap between theory and practice in regard to achieve reconfigurability in existing manufacturing systems. This gap includes (1) understanding the type of relationships among the core characteristics of reconfigurability, (2) understanding the influence that one core characteristic has on another and (3) establishing a sequence of implementation for the core characteristics. This study makes a contribution to fill this gap in the research area.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current level of reconfigurability implementation and its impact on manufacturing systems’ operational performance empirically.

This study is based on a questionnaire survey. Statistical analysis procedures were adopted to accomplish its objectives, namely, clustering methods based on cluster centroids. An ANOVA analysis was used to test for cluster differences among the variables.

The results show that the manufacturing companies surveyed can be divided into three clusters, with different levels of reconfigurability implemented. The implementation of the core characteristics of reconfigurability depends on the product’s complexity and demand variability, in terms of volume and product mix, as these have an impact on the operational performance, in terms of quality, delivery and flexibility.

The data for this survey were collected from manufacturing companies based in Portugal. Therefore, the replication of this questionnaire in other countries is recommended for future research to confirm its findings.

The questionnaire developed could be used by managers to assess the level of reconfigurability of their production systems and for internal/external benchmarking. The findings may help managers to decide which core characteristics should be implemented in their manufacturing systems.

The majority of the research addressing performance issues in reconfigurable manufacturing systems has been applied to case studies. This research reports an empirical investigation using a questionnaire-based methodology to provide generalisable empirical evidence.

Special software in a CAD system can help a designer evaluate an assembly and redesign it for automation.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a design approach based on the investigation of the sensitivity of assembly systems to volume fluctuations as part of the selection process of alternative design solutions for scalable assembly systems on the basis of a real industrial case study.

A conceptual approach for the (re‐)design of a scalable assembly system is developed on the basis of an industrial case research using axiomatic design (AD) for the top level structuring of the framework incorporating useful methods and insights obtained from a thorough literature review and from previous research work.

The findings of this research are limited due to the focused nature of a case study based research. However, the obtained results encourage assuming its transferability to similar problems.

Significant research has been done in the design of assembly systems for high product variety, but the review of literature in this field still identifies many opportunities for future research. This paper responds to the clearly identified research need of a methodological guidance regarding the design of scalable assembly systems and offers a practically proven help to improve the efficiency of the design process and the quality of the design results.

This research aims to examine the relevant literature related to maintenance performance measurement in the manufacturing sector. In the process, innovative approaches and models utilized to measure and manage maintenance performance in manufacturing operational settings are classified and examined. Based on this investigation, future research directions and themes are identified.

A database of 251 peer‐reviewed publications, published during the last 30 years, was utilized for the purpose of this research. The published works included contributions from both practitioners and scholars.

This literature review‐based research revealed important themes related to evolution of maintenance performance management. These themes focus on the effective utilization of maintenance resources, information systems support, and human factor management. Based on this literature review, a conceptual framework, which traces the different operational and organizational facets of the evolution of maintenance performance management, is offered.

Based on the findings of this study, it is concluded that the area of maintenance performance and management is in need of more future systematic research efforts aimed at solidifying theoretical constructs and promoting the utilization of more practical applications.

Findings derived from this investigation have relevant manufacturing implications. In this context, understanding the different approaches to maintenance performance measurement and management, as utilized in manufacturing organizations, is critical to these organizations' performance improvement efforts.

Understanding the types and scopes of the different approaches and models utilized to manage and measure maintenance performance in manufacturing operational settings is important in light of the growing competitiveness of the manufacturing sector.

In the light of challenges experienced in cost estimation at the bidding stage of complex engineering services in the defence industry (e.g. contracting for availability), the purpose of this paper is to present a framework to manage the influence of uncertainty on cost estimates.

The research applied the Soft Systems Methodology and benefitted from interaction with four major organisations in the defence industry through document sharing, semi-structured interviews, workshops, and case studies.

The framework is composed of seven stages to plan, identify, prioritise, classify, and manage cost uncertainties. Through the validation of three case studies some of the key benefits of the framework were realised in project planning, uncertainty visualisation, and capability management.

The research has been applied in the defence sector in the UK and focuses on the bidding stage. Further research needs to be applied to confirm that the findings are applicable across industries and across the life cycle.

The paper builds on the theory behind risk and uncertainty management and proposes an innovative framework that avoids the assumption of “perfect” knowledge by raising questions about the validity of the input data.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a literature review of the performance measurement (PM) in maintenance. The authors aim to discuss the background and development of the PM for maintenance, besides defining the concept of performance measures for maintenance and the frameworks developed.

A detailed and extensive literature search and study was undertaken by the authors on the concept and definition of PM, performance indicators (PIs), maintenance performance indicators and various performance frameworks. The history and theory of PM over different phases of business and technological developments have been critically examined and analysed in this review paper.

This paper reviews and presents the different PIs and PM frameworks like; balanced scorecard (BSC), performance prism, performance pyramid and performance matrix, etc., and identifies their characteristics and shortcomings. After considering related issues and challenges, frameworks and approaches for the maintenance performance measurement (MPM) are also presented, where the emerging techniques like; emaintenance have also been discussed amongst others. More and more industries are applying the balanced and integrated MPM frameworks for their competitive survivability and sustainability.

The concept, issues and approaches considered for the MPM frameworks can be adapted by the practicing managers, while trying to define and develop an MPM framework for the operation and maintenance activities. The considerations of the advantages and limitations of different frameworks can provide insights to the managers for implementation.

Some literature reviews on MPM and MPM frameworks are available today. This paper makes an attempt to provide a detailed and relevant literature review, besides adding value in this new and emerging area.

Traditionally, many manufacturers of cost intensive capital goods have largely focused on design, realization and distribution of high‐quality products. Meanwhile, their industrial customers increasingly expect to be provided with diverse services. These services predominantly aim at enhancing the functional and the economical performance of the underlying products. To systematically exploit the potential of services, an appropriate combination of products and services becomes crucial. For achieving desired benefits for both manufacturers and their industrial customers, product‐service systems (PSS) have to be configured systematically. This paper aims to address these issues.

The presented approach considers customer, manufacturer and product life cycle specific aspects within the configuration of PSS. The paper presents a framework which comprises all activities necessary to conduct a systematic configuration of PSS. Throughout the paper, an elementary case study illustrates the activities.

Exemplary use cases indicate that the configuration of PSS using the presented approach is beneficial.

The case study is a success. However, especially the increasing complexity of modern capital goods demands for developing a suitable application software that supports the configuration.

The paper presents a successful application for conducting a customer, manufacturer and product life cycle‐oriented configuration of PSS.