About the Journal

The terms “smart” and “intelligent” are often used in the manufacturing and operations industries, but what do they truly mean? While “smart” typically refers to the collection, processing, and sharing of data, “intelligent” takes it a step further by contextualizing the data to create the best possible outcome. The core of an intelligent factory is often represented by a human brain, and for all value chain types, the intelligent core should work as a central brain. This requires secure IT and OT environments, converged systems, and automation to reduce human interference and potential failures. Being intelligent means having the ability to absorb and contextualize information, adapt to changing conditions, and derive the best-case scenario. While smart factories leverage data and insights to make better decisions, they are not true intelligent enterprises unless they have an advanced level of software and hardware automation, remote technology setup and maintenance, and autonomous provision of logistics. Achieving this requires significant investment and the replacement of legacy systems. While a hybrid human-technology-automation environment is currently the most effective and sustainable choice, it is not yet fully “intelligent” but can be considered “more than smart” by combining human intuition with AI insights.