Process modeling for smart factories: using science mapping to understand the strategic themes, main challenges and future trends
Business Process Management Journal
ISSN: 1463-7154
Article publication date: 4 March 2021
Issue publication date: 10 August 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the relationships between process modeling and Industry 4.0, the strategic themes and the most used process modeling language in smart factories. The study also presents the growth of the field of study worldwide, the perspectives, main challenges, trends and suggestions for future works.
Design/methodology/approach
To do this, a science mapping was performed using the software SciMAT, supported by VOS viewer.
Findings
The results show that the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), Unified Modelling Language (UML) and Petri Net are the most relevant languages to smart manufacturing. The authors also highlighted the need to develop new languages or extensions capable of representing the dynamism, interoperability and multiple technologies of smart factories.
Originality/value
It was possible to identify the most used process modeling languages in smart environments and understand how these languages assist control and manage smart processes. Besides, the authors highlighted challenges, new perspectives and the need for future works in the field.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study was supported in part by the dual degree agreement between the master's program in industrial systems and processes of the University of Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil and the master's program in Software Engineering of the University of Quindío, Colombia. This research was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES), Brazil - Finance Code 001, in part by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Brazil (under Grant 303934/2019-0) and in part by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under grant PID2019-105381GA-I00 (iScience). The authors would like to thank the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACYT) and the Dirección General de Relaciones Exteriores (DGRI), Mexico, for the support provided to this study.
Citation
Sott, M.K., Furstenau, L.B., Kipper, L.M., Reckziegel Rodrigues, Y.P., López-Robles, J.R., Giraldo, F.D. and Cobo, M.J. (2021), "Process modeling for smart factories: using science mapping to understand the strategic themes, main challenges and future trends", Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 27 No. 5, pp. 1391-1417. https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-05-2020-0181
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited