The next-generation technologies enabled by the industry 4.0 revolution put immense pressure on traditional ISA95 compliant manufacturing systems to evolve into smart manufacturing systems. Unfortunately, the transformation of old to new manufacturing technologies is a slow process. Therefore, the manufacturing industry is currently in a situation that the legacy and modern manufacturing systems share the same factory environment. This heterogeneous ecosystem leads to challenges in systems scalability, interoperability, information security, and data quality domains. Our former research effort concluded that blockchain technology has promising features to address these challenges. Moreover, our systematic assessment revealed that most of the ISA95 enterprise functions are suitable for applying blockchain technology. However, no blockchain reference architecture explicitly focuses on the ISA95 compliant traditional and smart manufacturing systems available in the literature. This research aims to fill the gap by first methodically specifying the design requirements and then meticulously elaborating on how the reference architecture components fulfill the design requirements.
Mayur Batra, Naresh Manchanda, Andrei Moskalev, Rohini Uttamchandani
Abstract It is a common knowledge that the main goal of companies is to supply goods and services to buyers at maximum price for minimum cost. For companies such as energy producers, with complex and dynamic supply chains, this often causes cost control issues. Previously, business models based on VI (Vertical Integration) or outsourcing could mitigate cost increases, but these models have limits. A new paradigm is proposed: use of distributed ledger technology in the form of a blockchain-based supply chain integration solution. By permitting participants in a supply chain to integrate information flows in a secure, quick and automated levels of efficiency that are achieved and cannot be reached by other technologies and do not require participants to change their IT platforms. The main purpose for the creation and management of the "supply chain" is for the seller to provide the buyer the maximum value – whether of a product or service – at the lowest cost. Here is a depiction of the "links" in the general supply chain for energy production.
Supply chain 4.0 denotes the fourth revolution of supply chain management systems, integrating manufacturing operations with telecommunication and Information Technology processes. Although the overarching aim of supply chain 4.0 is the enhancement of production systems within supply chains, making use of global reach, increasing agility and emerging technology, with the ultimate goal of increasing efficiency, timeliness and profitability, Supply chain 4.0 suffers from unique and emerging operational and cyber risks. Supply chain 4.0 has a lack of semantic standards, poor interoperability, and a dearth of security in the operation of its manufacturing and Information Technology processes. The technologies that underpin supply chain 4.0 include blockchain, smart contracts, applications of Artificial Intelligence, cyber-physical systems, Internet of Things and Industrial Internet of Things. Each of these technologies, individually and combined, create cyber security issues that should be addressed. This paper explains the nature of the military supply chains 4.0 and how it uniquely differs from the commercial supply chain, revealing their strengths, weaknesses, dependencies and the fundamental technologies upon which they are built. This encompasses an assessment of the cyber risks and opportunities for research in the field, including consideration of connectivity, sensing and convergence of systems. Current and emerging semantic models related to the standardization, development and safety assurance considerations for implementing new technologies into military supply chains 4.0 are also discussed. This is examined from a holistic standpoint and through technology-specific lenses to determine current states and implications for future research directions.
A systematic review of the literature is presented related to the usage of blockchain technology (BCT) for cyber-threats in the context of Industry 4.0. BCT plays a crucial role in creating smart factories and it is recognized as a core technology that triggers a disruptive revolution in Industry 4.0. Beyond security, authentication, asset tracking and the exchange of smart contracts, BCTs allow terminals to exchange information according to mutually agreed rules within a secured manner. Consequently, BCT can play a crucial role in industrial sustainability by preserving the assets and the environment and by enhancing the quality of life of citizens. In this work, a classification of the most important cyber-attacks that occurred in the last decade in Industry 4.0 is proposed based on four classes. The latter classes cover scanning, local to remote, power of root and denial of service (DoS). BCT is also defined and various types belong to BCT are introduced and highlighted. Likewise, BCT protocols and implementations are discussed as well. BCT implementation includes linear structure and directed acyclic graph (DAG) technology. Then, a comparative study of the most relevant works based on BCT in Industry 4.0 is conducted in terms of confidentiality, integrity, availability, privacy and multifactor authentication features. Our review shows that the integration of BCT in industry can ensure data confidentiality and integrity and should be enforced to preserve data availability and privacy. Future research directions towards enforcing BCT in the industrial field by considering machine learning, 5G/6G mobile systems and new emergent technologies are presented.
Demetrios Joannou, Roy Kalawsky, Miguel Martínez-García, Chris Fowler · 5 authors
A key requirement for an integrated digital tool chain is secure access and control of data assets. Not all stakeholders will have the same access to or control over the flow of information, some will be able to input or change data whilst others will only be able to read the data. Simply providing secure access protocols is not sufficient because copied data can quickly become disassociated and modified from its original instantiation, leading to its reuse elsewhere or later in the lifecycle but in an inappropriate way. Therefore, data management mechanisms are required that capture information about the data along with any decisions or modifications it has undergone during the course of its life, thus providing complete traceability for later validation purposes. This undertaking is essential across the systems engineering lifecycle. This pursuit involves controlling who can access and modify data within the lifecycle. This paper describes a solution to this by the introduction of blockchain technology, a relatively new technology that allows digital information to be distributed but not copied, making it an immutable set of time-stamped data managed by a network of connected systems and services. Though blockchain technology is not commonly referred to when discussing Industry 4.0, the technology’s capabilities should add value when applied in a context of data management and security within the lifecycle of a product or services and in conjunction with digital twins, big data, and IoT. This paper describes how permissioned blockchains can be implemented within a systems engineering lifecycle, providing example architecture patterns showing how data provenance can be maintained throughout.
Open access
Blockchain Technology Applications and Security
Digital Transformation in Industry
Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
Nov 1, 2020·2020 International Conferences on Internet of Things (iThings) and IEEE Green Computing and Communications (GreenCom) and IEEE Cyber, Physical and Social Computing (CPSCom) and IEEE Smart Data (SmartData) and IEEE Congress on Cybermatics (Cybermatics)
The manufacturing paradigm with the incorporation of modern emerging technologies such as cloud computing, IoT, cyber-physical systems (CPS), industrial automation as well as the service-oriented manufacturing process has paved the way to build a world where the smart industry or Industry 4.0 is a reality. However, these technological revolutions aren't ready for existing manufacturing platforms that suffer from security and reliability issues mainly because of its dependency on the trust of the central controller. Therefore the main purpose of this study is to orchestrate the development of a distributed decentralized peer to peer connected system architecture that will improve the reliability of the manufacturing process by providing a secure and immutable control information exchange platform. In that regard, we adopt blockchain, the core technology behind the development of cryptocurrencies because of its salient properties which include security, immutability, auditability, anonymity, and decentralization. In this paper, we present a blockchain-based system architecture with the help of clustering and authentication mechanisms to facilitate the development of a decentralized and highly secured system for advanced manufacturing. To evaluate the performance of the proposed system, we conducted a numerical analysis that shows that our proposed methodologies can bring more advantages to advanced manufacturing beyond security and reliability.
Multi-robot services are widely used to improve the efficiency of industry Internet applications, especially in smart factories. Under the situation that the tasks are becoming more and more intensive, how can smart factories use limited robot resources to complete tasks more efficiently? In order to solve this problem, we transform it into a resource-constrained multiproject scheduling problem, and consider using a combinatorial auction method to get the solution. In order to ensure the security of the system and solve the transaction cost of the robot system, we adopt Blockchain technology and smart contracts to organize the work of the robots. We finally conducted performance analysis of our proposed method, and the results show that smart contracts and combined auction algorithms are safe and effective.
Abstract The applicability of distributed ledger technology (DLT) in PLM systems at production enterprises is considered. Potential benefits of this approach include decentralization, openness, and interoperability of automation systems for production enterprises.
Sabah Suhail, Rasheed Hussain, Raja Jurdak, Choong Seon Hong
Industrial processes rely on sensory data for critical decision-making processes. Extracting actionable insights from the collected data calls for an infrastructure that can ensure the trustworthiness of data. To this end, we envision a blockchain-based framework for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to address the issues of data management and security. Once the data collected from trustworthy sources are recorded in the blockchain, product lifecycle events can be fed into data-driven systems for process monitoring, diagnostics, and optimized control. In this regard, we leverage digital twins (DTs) that can draw intelligent conclusions from the data by identifying the faults and recommending precautionary measures ahead of critical events. Furthermore, we discuss the integration of DTs and blockchain to target key challenges of disparate data repositories, untrustworthy data dissemination, and fault diagnosis. Finally, we identify outstanding challenges faced by the IIoT and future research directions while leveraging blockchain and DTs.
Jinying Li, Ananda Maiti, Matthew Springer, Tony Gray
In global Supply Chain Quality Management (SCQM), there are methods to ensure continuity of supply, at appropriate prices while meeting quality standards. But they are limited by the large and fallible role of humans, especially in manufacturing and quality control. Open Manufacturing aims to establish an open network of manufacturers that enables product information sharing among others in the production chain. Realizing the goals of open manufacturing requires processing the large datasets inherent to the production chain partners. But it is difficult to comply with the trust and privacy requirements of the suppliers in a supply chain. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of blockchain and its current and potential use in the industrial context including Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-based sensor networks, and the impact of the blockchain technology in manufacturing related areas such as traceability. The focus of this paper is on a potential application of blockchain in SCQM with detailed analysis of its technical feasibility and the methods of transitioning between the current approaches to a blockchain-oriented platform. An innovative use of blockchain to store referral information is also discussed. The survey concludes that blockchain along with IIoT can improve SCQM in an Open Manufacturing model.
Aamir Iqbal, Mohammad Amir, Vinod Kumar, Aftab Alam · 5 authors
In modern era, a wide range of smart industries is being focus on automation-based applications. Various technologies are rapidly implementing in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for manufacturing sectors that helping to achieve advanced schedule production framework and on time delivery of products. The integration of IIoT platforms with the blockchain are challenging service in manufacturing system. The primary objective of this article is to characterize various issues and challenges that are implementing IIoT and blockchain in industries. The proposed work is an integration of IIoT and blockchain in industrial processes for solving the security issues in real-time. Also, identifying various enablers of blockchain and issues of IIoT from smart industries manufacturing using a survey tool is formed in the form of questionnaire. Based on these responses Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique has been implemented for categorizing these challenges into cause and effect. In this paper, we introduce the general layout with their key issues and challenges of IIoT and blockchain that signifies the safety requirements to design the IIoT and blockchain. Further, we describe how IIoT can be integrated to the blockchain for smart Industrial applications. Finally, various recommendations are the proposed to upcoming IIoT and blockchain developments. The proposed work will be highly beneficial for the smart industries to develop a next generation IIoT and blockchain based framework.
Building a traditional factory into a smart factory is one of the goals of “Industry 4.0”. As factories move towards smart development, the existing network security systems can no longer meet the needs of enterprises and users. Aiming at the hidden dangers of information leakage and illegal access to the data of cryptographic production facilities and products in the smart factory, the article combines the core technology of the Internet of Things radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and blockchain technology, and proposes a blockchain-based technology, the lightweight password security authentication mechanism of the smart factory RFID system, which has the characteristics of lightweight, anti-data leakage, and low management cost. It can ensure the safe and reliable access of industrial data while preventing the application of RFID in smart factories. Security issues such as replay attacks, man-in-the-middle attacks, and server spoofing attacks also provide new ideas for the research on data security protection for smart factories.
Nikola Todorović, Marko Vještica, Vladimir Dimitrieski, Miroslav Zarić · 6 authors
In recent years, Industry 4.0 has promoted the enhanced horizontal integration of value chain participants, aiming to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Cross-Organizational Business Processes. In this paper, we discuss transparency and data privacy challenges that occur with the introduction of a high level of horizontal integration. Private, permissioned Distributed Ledger Technology systems and smart contracts can be used to address these challenges and enhance the integration of business processes across the entire value chain. To make this possible, we propose a creation of a Model-Driven Software Development approach based on a Domain-Specific Modeling Language that would enable automatic generation of smart contracts. Generated smart contracts could then be used by collaborating parties to supervise the state of production and contract fulfillment in a trustworthy and secure way.
Blockchain is a distributed and digital ledger which has transformed supply chains in various ways. In this chapter, we will investigate how blockchain can add value to the supply chain management system. This chapter will further investigate the influence of integrating blockchain technology to the current supply chain system and discuss its long-term implications. In essence, research has been carried out to verify if blockchain technology is capable of providing the transparency and the accountability the current Supply Chain Management (SCM) system lacks. The chapter looks at advantages and disadvantages of such integration and provides feedback and recommendations on the same. The research findings aim to provide better insight into current practices used by large logistic and supply industries and what the future holds for such companies using the SCM system.
In today’s modern energy sector, driven more and more towards decentralization, which includes many smaller energy producers rather than huge government projects, security against cyber-attacks is becoming more crucial for the energy grid. Since many small energy plants do not have the resources to finance very expensive existing cyber-security systems, they often have no security system in place at all. Although with small energy producers, the risks of being under attack are not as devastating as in a huge power plants, they still pose a serious threat to the energy system and to the supply of electricity to whole regions. Moreover, in the era of technology, such cyber-attacks could be carried out simultaneously at many locations, thus risking the lack of electricity to larger areas. Since there was a clearly identified need for such an instrument, the SPEAR consortium, started to develop tailor made solution for different types of actors in the energy sector, to prevent such occurrences and help secure the energy system. One of the use cases, investigated in the project, is a real operating hydro power plant in the mountain area of Bulgaria called Leshnitsa, which will be one of the four sites to first test the functionality of the finished product. The plant had no previous cyber-security system in place and had already experienced one attack, where one of the computers in the plant was hacked and a ransom was demanded from the attackers to unlock it. Exactly events like this one are proof, that the energy sector has a need to protect the growing number of small independent actors in the energy system..
Purpose This study investigates the competencies required for quality management professionals to meet the needs of industry 4.0. The authors use a case study strategy at an electronics manufacturer in southern Malaysia, to adapt their role to be relevant in the industry 4.0 environment. In doing so, this study answers the following four questions: (1) How are the changing technological trends expected to impact the future role of quality in industry 4.0? (2) What are the competencies gap between current and future roles of quality professionals? (3) What are the views and practices related to quality roles? (4) How can the gaps identified be closed to meet the quality challenges of industry 4.0? Design/methodology/approach The research methods consist of a comprehensive review of literature on the technological trends towards industry 4.0 and the impact on the role of quality and competence that may be required in the future, as well as internal document review on the current roles of quality professionals in an electronics manufacturer in southern Malaysia, to identify the competence gap. Empirical data was collected based on surveys conducted on 64 quality professionals with a response rate of 96.88%. Interviews were conducted on three decision-makers from critical areas in the electronics manufacturer for viewpoints from three different perspectives: finance, operations and talent development. Findings Quality professionals will require technical competencies to interpret large amounts of data from processes to make strategic decisions, the use of new AR tools and be aware of data security risks. Methodological competencies will be required to use data to identify the source of problems, to access reliable sources of learning and the ability to use new tools for solving complex problems efficiently. Social competencies will be required in communications across multi-sites, suppliers and customers in new collaborative virtual platforms, with the ability to retain tacit and explicit knowledge, in a decentralized environment that will require leadership ability to make decisions. Personal competencies required will be the ability to work in a flexible workplace and time and more frequent work-related changes. Research limitations/implications The limitation of the study is based on what the authors currently know of the future, which may not be much for the quality professionals in the electronics manufacturer, who have not been exposed much to the technology yet. The potential for the future landscape to change dramatically with rapid technology changes may also result in a different set of skills for future quality professionals. The quality professionals who were involved in this study were the quality executives, engineers and managers, irrespective of their gender, age, length of service and experience in the field of quality. Therefore, these variables were not taken into consideration for this research. Practical implications This research helped to identify the role of quality in industry 4.0 and key competencies that the quality professionals in the electronics manufacturer will require to adapt to their role in industry 4.0. However, based on the questionnaire and the interview comments of key personnel, it can be concluded that quality professionals lack awareness of their new roles in industry 4.0. This could be due to the fact that the new technology is not implemented by quality professionals but by the innovation team based in Singapore headquarters, as was also advised by the operations head. Social implications The benefit of industry 4.0 technology is clearly shown by Philips's new Dutch factory with robotized technology that was able to produce the same output with one-tenth of the workers of its China factory (Rifkin, 2014, chapter 8). Rojko (2017, p. 80) also shared a similar view that industry 4.0 is expected to reduce production costs by 10–30%, logistics costs by 10–30% and quality management costs by 10–20%. The importance of this research can be seen from the findings of “The Future of Jobs” (2018, p. 22), which suggests that the window of opportunity for organizations to leverage the new technology to re-skill is within the period of 2018–2022, in order to enable employees to reach full potential in the high value-added tasks. The electronics manufacturer may need to keep to this timeline to maintain its competitive advantage. Originality/value The purpose of this paper was to determine the competence gap of current quality professionals in the electronics manufacturer with the competencies required in industry 4.0. This led to the third objective, to identify the views of stakeholders based on the propositions derived from the gaps identified, to triangulate the findings, to conclude the competency gaps of the current quality professionals in the electronics manufacturer. Finally, the objective of this paper was to make a recommendation on how to prepare the quality professionals in the electronics manufacturer for their role in industry 4.0. The research identified the technical, methodological, social and personal competencies gap of the quality professionals in the electronics manufacturer by looking at the changes expected in industry 4.0 from four aspects, factory (people and process), business, product and customers.
Charles Tim Batista Garrocho, Mateus Silva, Célio Márcio Soares Ferreira, Carlos Frederico Marcelo da Cunha Cavalcanti · 5 authors
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is expected to attract significant investments for industry. In this new environment, blockchain presents immediate potential in applications of the IIoT, offering several benefits to industrial cyberphysical systems.
Yawar Abbas, Alberto Martinetti, Jan-jaap Moerman, Ton Hamberg · 5 authors
This study explores the potential of blockchain technology in enhancing trust among the stakeholders responsible for the maintenance of rolling stock. Although the technology has been widely successful in the financial sector, it is still novel in the maintenance field. Given the customized nature of maintenance processes, it is unclear if a suitable consensus protocol can be identified that can enhance trust among stakeholders. This problem is investigated through the lens of the Design Science Research Methodology. First, the theoretical background of blockchain technology and its role in enhancing trust are explained, followed by the analysis of a current case at a Railway company to test the proof of concept. A business network archive is developed for the maintenance management of the sliding step of the train door system. The archive encompasses the business logic and transactional data required to enhance trust among stakeholders in the quality of performed maintenance. The developed archive is deployed on Hyperledger Fabric and the effectiveness of the solution is evaluated through a survey. The results show that the developed business network, deployed on a customized Hyperledger Fabric consensus protocol, enhanced trust among the stakeholders involved.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are undergoing rapid transformation as organizations pursue real-time operational visibility, stronger data integrity, and scalable digital business models. Two technologies Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain have emerged as complementary enablers of next generation ERP architectures. IoT devices provide continuous streams of sensor rich operational data that enhance forecasting, automation, and situational awareness across supply chains, manufacturing, and asset management. The integration of large-scale IoT ecosystems introduces challenges in data trustworthiness, provenance tracking, and decentralized coordination. Blockchain offers a tamper resistant ledger, distributed consensus, and programmable smart contracts capable of addressing many of these limitations. When combined, IoT and blockchain can create a secure, transparent, and autonomous ERP backbone in which data flows are verifiable, cross organizational workflows are automated, and mission critical transactions retain end-to-end auditability. This article examines the architectural synergies between IoT and blockchain within ERP frameworks explores integration patterns for secure data acquisition, decentralized validation, and smart contract driven process automation; and evaluates technical and organizational challenges including scalability, interoperability, privacy, and governance. A hybrid reference architecture is proposed to guide practitioners in designing next generation ERP ecosystems that leverage both technologies. The analysis demonstrates that IoT blockchain convergence is a strategic pathway for building resilient, intelligent, and trustworthy enterprise systems capable of supporting Industry 4.0 and data centric operating models.
IOGP Geomatics Guidance Note 3. Google Cloud joins OPC Foundation. OPC teams with CESMII and Open Industry 4.0 Alliance. Oil Companies International Marine Forum publishes ‘Dynamic positioning failure mode’ guide. Open Geospatial Consortium approves HDF5. Industrial Internet Consortium white paper on distributed ledgers in the IIoT. New ISO standards for the IoT. Linux Foundation’s EdgeX Foundry ‘Geneva’ release. NIST on a Chip. PPDM V3 of Well Status & Classification taxonomy. PPDM Board explains relationship with OSDU. Alliance for the Internet of Things and the Semantic Interoperability Expert Group of the World Wide Web Consortium (WC3) to compile ontology landscape for the IoT.