Manufacturing and automation have assumed paramount importance and are
vital factors for the economy of a nation and the quality of life. The field of
manufacturing and automation is advancing at a rapid pace, and new technologies
are also emerging in the field. The challenges faced by today’s engineers are forcing
them to keep on top of the emerging trends through continuous research and
development.
Manufacturing research includes a focus on the transformation of present factories, toward reusable, flexible, modular, intelligent, digital, virtual, affordable, easy-to-adapt, easy-to-operate, easy-to-maintain, and highly reliable “smart factories.” Therefore, IWAMA 2018 has mainly covered four topics in manufacturing engineering: 1. Industry 4.0; 2. Manufacturing systems and technologies; 3. Production management; 4. Design and optimization