Abstract
The rise of a new digital industrial paradigm known as industry 4.0, powered by several enabling technologies such as flexible and collaborative robots, autonomous vehicles, internet of things, cloud and manufacturing servitization, is seen as the key enabler for the fourth industrial revolution: the digital manufacturing. However, there are still several challenges related to the effective adoption of these technologies and to enterprise level interoperability so that an entire cyber physical production system can work seamlessly. Besides the set of challenges faced by industrialists, this research work presents innovative results towards a plug and play seamlessly integration of technologies, from the shop floor to the enterprise management layers, ensuring a total integrated architecture supporting the full product lifecycle management.

Abstract
Today, manufacturing is moving towards customer-driven and knowledge-based proactive production. Shorter product life cycles lead to increased complexity in areas such as product and process design, factory deployment and production operations. To handle this complexity, new knowledge-based methods and technologies are needed to model, simulate, optimize and monitor manufacturing systems. Product lifecycle management research tends to focus on situations that are responsive to formal analysis and modelling. However, in several domains such as knowledge intensive collaborative environments, it's not possible to model processes using formal notations. Knowledge based and collaborative process management involves a combination of structured and non-structured processes. Structured processes management can be reduced to a set of fully-defined rules leading to high efficiency but also low flexibility, whereas the management of non-structured processes is not prone to a full formalization. A combination of both structured and unstructured management approaches is required in order to achieve a successful trade-off between efficiency, flexibility and controllability. We call a process as semi-structured when it contains both structured and non-structured sub-processes leading to a flexible and efficient hybrid approach. Large enterprise information systems, impose structured and predictable workflows, while knowledge based collaborative processes are unpredictable to some extent, involving high amount of human-decision. Moreover, large enterprise information systems are not able to manage the daily ad hoc communication inherent to the knowledge-based process itself. This paper introduces a set of concepts, methods and tools of an innovative Hybrid Process Management approach validated by a real world business case in the automotive industry.

Abstract
This paper presents part of the findings of a research project aiming at characterising high-performance collaborative business networks and at defining the conditions required for their creation and management. The project adopted a multiple case study research strategy and three different business networks are presented in this paper. Empirical studies have been performed in Northern Portugal. The results of the study include operational definitions based on a comprehensive literature review, a conceptual reference framework for the analysis of high-performance collaborative networks and recommendations for the creation and management of such networks.

Abstract
The concept of combining the power of several independent factories to achieve complex manufacturing processes as so-called virtual manufacturing enterprises is not new and has been addressed by several research projects in recent years. However, there is still a need for adequate methodological support and tools for modelling, structuring and controlling of the next generation of manufacturing systems, such as the virtual factory. In this research, a conceptual virtual factory reference model is presented with the goal to provide companies with general guidelines to manage and monitor the business processes that are needed to create, execute, and dissolve a virtual factory. The virtual factory reference model was built taking into account industrial's requirements and by reviewing the literature in several relevant fields of research such as collaborative networks, supply networks, manufacturing networks, supply chain management, and business processes. Afterwards, it has been validated through its application to future virtual factories of three different industrial sectors: machinery, energy, and semiconductor.

Abstract
This paper proposes a framework to support the full virtual manufacturing enterprise lifecycle from the creation to the operation and dissolution. The paper will show how the framework supports the activities involved in the setup of virtual manufacturing enterprise, how to run it and which tools are needed. Three main perspectives are considered: knowledge and information, methodology and Technology. A business case analysis is then presented in order to understand the framework applicability to the development of collaborative business opportunities in an engineer-to-order and one-of-a-kind production environments, which is common to a large number of SMEs.

Abstract
This paper presents an analytical approach for the evaluation of multi-user safety critical systems presenting a failure delayed behavior pattern. As a consequence of a failure event, the performance of these systems worsens progressively due to the internal fault tolerance mechanisms or the complacency of the users regarding the temporary unavailability of the services. A distinctive feature of the approach is the ability to handle stochastic models containing multiple processes with generalized distributions. The approach is based on the determination of analytical expressions to measure reliability, for instance, frequency and probability of failure states, which may be evaluated using general purpose mathematical tools. The paper first reviews other well-established techniques employed in the assessment of non-Markovian systems, particularly those based on stochastic Petri nets. The rationale of the new approach and its fundamental algorithms are presented together with a set of illustrative examples which highlight the strengths of the approach, as well as its limitations. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.