ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an insight into the business and operational processes and technologies, which motivate the development of a digital cognitive automation framework for collaborative robotics and modular manufacturing systems particularly tailored to SME operations and needs, i.e. the AUTOWARE Operative System (OS). It demonstrates how AUTOWARE digital abilities are able to support automatic awareness; a first step in the support of autonomous manufacturing capabilities in the digital shopfloor. The chapter demonstrates how the framework can be populated with additional digital abilities to support the development of advanced predictive maintenance strategies as those proposed by the Zbre4k project. Industry 4.0 started as a digital transformation initiative with a focus on the digital transformation of European factories towards smart digital production systems through intense vertical and horizontal integration. At a technical level, these new forms of cooperation and collaboration will be enabled by new digital infrastructures.
