Smart Production Planning and Control: Concept, Use-Cases and Sustainability Implications

Many companies are struggling to manage their production systems due to increasing market uncertainty. While emerging ‘smart’ technologies such as the internet of things, machine learning, and cloud computing have been touted as having the potential to transform production management, the realities of their adoption and use have been much more challenging than anticipated. In this paper, we explore these challenges and present a conceptual model, a use-case matrix and a product–process framework for a smart production planning and control (smart PPC) system and illustrate the use of these artefacts through four case companies. The presented model adopts an incremental approach that companies with limited resources could employ in improving their PPC process in the context of industry 4.0 and sustainability. The results reveal that while make-to-order companies are more likely to derive greater benefits from a smart product strategy, make-to-stock companies are more likely to derive the most benefit from pursuing a smart process strategy, and consequently a smart PPC solution.