A Conceptual Framework for Industry 3.5 to Empower Intelligent Manufacturing and Case Studies

Leading nations have reemphasized manufacturing with national competitive strategies such as Industry 4.0. The paradigm of production and manufacturing system is shifting, in which the increasing adoption of intelligent equipment and robotics, Internet of Things (IOT), and big data analytics have empowered manufacturing intelligence. Leading companies are battling for dominant positions in this newly created arena via providing novel value-proposition solutions and/or employing new technologies to enhance smart production. However, most of emerging countries may not ready for the migration of Industry 4.0. This study aims to propose a conceptual framework of Industry 3.5 as a hybrid strategy between Industry 3.0 and to-be Industry 4.0, to address some of the needs for flexible decisions and smart production in Industry 4.0. Empirical studies in high-tech manufacturing and other industries are used for illustration. Future research directions are discussed to implement the proposed Industry 3.5 to facilitate the migration of Industry 4.0. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.