The contribution of systems science to Industry 4.0

Industrie 4.0, also called Industry 4.0, represents the current trend of manufacturing industry characterized by high level of automation, industrial integration, and industrial information integration. It mainly includes enabling technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cyber-physical systems (CPS), cloud computing, industrial integration, industrial information integration, and other technologies. Systems science has been emerged and well developed since the second half of the twentieth century. From 1940s until now, systems science has been called systems science, systems engineering, systems theory, cybernetics, systems analysis, systems methodology, systems approach, and systems thinking. Since its emergence, a wealth of research has produced an astonishing array of theoretical results and empirical insights, and a large suite of methods and techniques. Systems science has been continuously, widely, and successfully applied to many subjects in natural science and social sciences. This paper aims at discussing the potential contribution of systems science to Industry 4.0. As we approach the era of Fourth Industrial Revolution, this paper points out that systems science is a necessity to deal with the overwhelming systems complexity in Industry 4.0 and the surrounding industrial ecosystem.