Blockchain-Secured Smart Manufacturing in Industry 4.0: A Survey

Blockchain is a new generation of secure information technology that is fueling business and industrial innovation. Many studies on key enabling technologies for resource organization and system operation of blockchain-secured smart manufacturing in Industry 4.0 had been conducted. However, the progression and promotion of these blockchain applications have been fundamentally impeded by various issues in scalability, flexibility, and cybersecurity. This survey discusses how blockchain systems can overcome potential cybersecurity barriers to achieving intelligence in Industry 4.0. In this regard, eight cybersecurity issues (CIs) are identified in manufacturing systems. Ten metrics for implementing blockchain applications in the manufacturing system are devised while surveying research in blockchain-secured smart manufacturing. This study reveals how these CIs have been studied in the literature. Based on insights obtained from this analysis, future research directions for blockchain-secured smart manufacturing are presented, which potentially guides research on urgent cybersecurity concerns for achieving intelligence in Industry 4.0.

Automated summary

Blockchain technology is driving business and industrial innovation as a new generation secure information technology, but its applications in Industry 4.0 are facing challenges such as scalability, flexibility, and cybersecurity issues. This study discusses cybersecurity issues in manufacturing systems and proposes metrics for implementing blockchain applications, providing insights for future research directions in blockchain-secured smart manufacturing.