Women in Smart Industrial System

Dear Colleagues,

The transformation toward Smart Industrial Systems for all must be harmonized with the threats, opportunities, and dynamics of the industry revolution. In this scenario, it is also necessary to keep in mind, as many scientists and academics claim, that is true that digitization and innovation are two processes that guide today’s companies. However, we obviously cannot ignore two other important issues: Firstly, the COVID-19 pandemic that, in this context, represents a strong “technological accelerator”; and secondly, gender in the field of technological and digital innovation. Underestimating gender in research can lead to risks and missed business opportunities.

Thus, identifying and outlining the technological, cultural, organizational, social, and managerial changes underlying the smart transformation underway is the aim of this Special Issue. The theme of the issue is therefore broad and affects not only the world of work in the strict sense, but also in a global vision, and it is a theme that also represents a challenge for the academic, professional, and industrial world. We are particularly interested in publishing articles not only from a traditional point of view but also from new emerging trends in order to meet practitioners’ needs and make theoretical contributions. All manuscripts are welcome in which the authors address smart industrial systems through the analysis of enabling technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, etc.) as well as the impacts of new forms of work organization, from the need to reform training courses to the dangers of new forms of authoritarianism and social inequality.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to collect high-quality contemporary research articles on the topic of “Women in Smart Industrial System” to enhance woman talent in the technology/innovation sector.

Keywords:

• Smart industrial systems and Smart manufacturing;
• Digital gender gap and gendered innovation;
• Smart working;
• Digital job skills (hard skills, soft skills, STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math);
• Sustainable manufacturing, circular economy, bioeconomy (product life-cycle management, life cycle assessment, design for environment, etc.);
• Digitalization and 5G;
• Blockchain and smart industry (applications, benefits, etc.);
• Enabling technology (IoT, quantum computing, simulation and digital twin, additive manufacturing, big data, cyber-physical systems, augmented reality, horizontal and vertical system integration, autonomous robot, virtual reality, machine learning, etc.);
• Decision analysis and decision support systems applications.

Please note: Contributions in which women are the first author or one of the corresponding authors are strongly encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Antonella Petrillo
Guest Editor

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