Towards industry 4.0 in practice: a novel RFID-based intelligent system for monitoring and optimisation of production systems

In line with the emerging Industry 4.0 technologies and their challenges for implementation, this study presents the results of research that developed a novel industrial integrated information system based on open source and low-cost technologies. The proposed Control System via RFID for Online Monitoring and Optimisation of Production Lines uses hardware and software to analyse the production system flow and performance. A longitudinal in-depth case study in a manufacturing plant exposes the empirical challenges to developing and implementing intelligent manufacturing systems towards Industry 4.0 in practice. Findings demonstrated that the proposed system enables industrial information integration through supervision and generation of information from the shoop-floor contributing to the managerial decision-making process in real-time. Implications for practitioners and academics address some of the current challenges for implementing Industry 4.0 technologies and industrial information integration. This study extends the knowledge of industrial integration and RFID implementation within Industry 4.0 by presenting a real-life application based on open source and low-cost technologies. The insights and lessons gained in this study can potentially be generalised for future efforts across industry manufacturers with similar shop-floor.