**6. Conclusions**

Influence on the human factor is linked to four elements: (1) tools and technologies, (2) orga-

In the future factory will increase the need for skilled digital work, will decrease the need for manual work, and will provide the worker with the exact information they need in real time or in a certain situation to perform their task efficiently. Workers are able to control and monitor production processes through the analysis of data and information supported by these devices. Intelligent systems will further make it possible for the worker to make qualified decisions in a shorter time. Collaborative robotics will share a work station with humans. These robots support the worker, for example, in situations that are critical with respect to ergonomics. Intelligent tools and technologies will become more autonomous and automated, but the supervision and efficient application of machines by humans will become more important than ever before.

Technologies can perform at high efficiency if the organization and structure of a company provide the right environment for them [32]. So, a significant change in the used technologies should and will proceed jointly with a significant change in organization and structure. Workers, capable of working with the information and data flow, will not necessarily be bound to a certain production area anymore, but the new operator skills will improve job

In the recent past, the world of industrial production was perceived from the outside as being a dark and dirty place with no windows where raw physical work is carried out by a horde of [33]. The perception of the working environment of the future will again be different. The future working environment will be an open and creative space. Work will be more flexible and transparent, more planned, and balanced. Surely, the homework will increase. Modern assistant systems will provide the workers with the ability for quick decision-making despite the increased complexity of their job contents. The work will be improved with respect to ergonomics. In particular, non-ergonomics processes are likely to become automated to

In the factory of the future, intraorganizational cooperation and communication will be fundamental. Networking and interconnectedness are focal components of the Industry 4.0. Workers will collaborate and communicate real time without borders using smart devices. The Internet provides the possibilities to meet globally in virtual rooms at almost any time and to reach out for required information as needed. All kinds of information and data will be ubiquitous and at the fingertips of the workers leading to a whole new level of knowledge management. Humans communicate with other humans and with intelligent machines.

It is necessary to define a model to identify the skills of operators required in the factory of the

*Phase #1: Education*. It is necessary to attract the attention to the manufacturing topics already in the school education system. The ideal would be the creation of educational courses required for the introduction of the systems behind the factory of the future, to prepare future workers. Similarly, computer courses and foreign language that often are optional should be mandatory. The school placements should become more common, limiting the bureaucracy. Extension of the offer summer schools with enhanced programs to raise awareness of

Here, below is a summary of the main phases required to ensure appropriate skills.

management by making it more qualified, responsive, and more decision-making.

improve the production workers' conditions.

16 Digital Transformation in Smart Manufacturing

future, from the school's point of view, and after school.

nization and structure, (2) working environment, and (4) organizational cooperation.

Several advanced economies are implementing the concept of Industry 4.0, marking the fourth industrial revolution. Increasingly, companies are applying innovative solutions, including through the "Internet of Things" (IoT), cloud computing, miniaturization, and 3D printing, that will enable more interoperability, flexible industrial processes, and autonomous and intelligent manufacturing. The new industrial revolution will be characterized by merging of technologies. Among the consequences of "Industry 4.0" and structural problems in the world, economy will be an escalation in competition at the geo-economic level. Industry 4.0 will concur to create new wealth and further improve living standards. The implementation of a 4.0 systems has considerable advantages. This chapter has analyzed a series of data showing efficiency increase and cost reductions for European companies that have implemented smart manufacturing systems. The implementation of a 4.0 system represents a real revolution within the company. In addition, the implementation of intelligent systems implies a considerable economic investment, and often the company cannot assess the economic return of that investment. For this reason, it is necessary to develop national or regional investment plans to encourage companies to invest in the 4.0 revolution. Companies that remain out of this revolution could disappear, as they would remain technologically obsolete with respect to their competitors. Before developing digitized systems, it is necessary to check if there are any prerequisites within the company to ensure the correct implementation of the new system. If there are no proper prerequisites, the first step to digitizing the company is to invest in training and information activities to train operators. As far as training operators in the chapter, the formation of the new working class 4.0 has been of great importance. Communication should start from high school, through school-work alternation and by providing basic knowledge of computer science and robotics, to make it clear to young workers what is the trend toward which we are moving. This chapter has also analyzed the various changes that companies will face, distinguishing between developed countries and developing countries. In addition, business, economic, and financial opportunities that can be exploited by implementing Industry 4.0 systems have been described. The chapter also presented softly the most important intelligent factory technologies such as big data and cloud data analysis systems, cyber-physical systems that allow self-regulating operations run by intelligent robots, simulation systems and virtual reality to train addicting operators, and additive manufacturing to develop more and more customized products that meet customer needs. In conclusion it is worthy to note that to face the challenges of the future it is strategic to digitize manufacturing processes and implement intelligent automated systems that can self-manage. The commitment must be extended not only to companies but also to governments, whose task is not only to develop investment plans that are easy for companies wishing to renew their processes but also to train young workers from high schools by making compulsory modules of computer science, automation, and foreign languages, to create a new generation of "workers 4.0" who possess the hard and soft skills needed to operate within the intelligent factory. Only in this way, it will be possible to properly implement the new Industry 4.0 practices and to make technological advances to companies and the whole civilization.

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## **Author details**

Antonella Petrillo1 \*, Fabio De Felice2 , Raffaele Cioffi<sup>1</sup> and Federico Zomparelli2

