Smart factories: Literature review and development prospects

Smart factories have demonstrated the effectiveness in leading technological trends and enhancing social production efficiency. Consequently, smart factories have attracted the attention of not only business owners and policymakers but also scholars in many fields of research. However, the conception of a smart factory varies significantly depending on the approaches. This discrepancy translates into a notable divergence in creating a development strategy for a smart factory, encompassing aspects such as technology selection for investment, the enhancement of human resource strategies, and the overall development strategy for the entire enterprise. Furthermore, this disparity poses challenges in proposing a consistent science and technology policy to promote the trend of intelligent production. To address these shortcomings, the authors conducted an exhaustive literature review of published works on smart factories to establish a comprehensive concept and delineate the primary characteristics of smart factories, providing a fundamental framework for strategic planning and investment policies. This research offers a foundation for formulating a set of criteria to assess the intelligence of manufacturing factories.