Industry 4.0 Information Systems for Materials Circularity in Supply Chains: Industry Issues and Research Directions

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of information systems in manufacturing to support material circularity practices in the supply chain. The paper attempts to study the usefulness of manufacturing operations management (MOM) systems, particularly manufacturing execution systems (MES), in enabling traceability and supply chain integration for tracking product material details. Theoretical propositions made on MOM systems for materials circularity (based on the literature study) were empirically examined using needs assessment from two case companies with complex product material requirements. Based on the qualitative analysis of propositions and empirical findings, the paper identified traceability-enabled methods, supply chain integration, and the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies as potential enablers for achieving materials circularity goals. As a result, the priorities for developing research agenda in this area to design factories of the future and to achieve Industry 4.0 vision that supports circular economy were established. Future research directions are put forward and future work will include an in-depth case study analysis to explore the role of Industry 4.0-compliant MOM systems to meet evolving regulatory demands and operational scalability across the supply chain.