An overview of smart workplace solutions and potential improvement areas

The development of Industry 5.0 aligns with the aims of the European Commission’s 2024–2029 priorities and contributes to three of the six key goals. Therefore, enhancing manufacturing practices remains a growing priority. However, flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) and smart workplace solutions are still not widely used, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A possible reason for this is that the process of adjusting and reconfiguring assembly lines is time-consuming, labour-intensive, requires higher investment and specialized expertise. However, an up-to-date review and analysis of the field is needed to start finding advanced solutions. This research identifies potential improvement areas for smart workplace solutions. The current study provides an overview of the technologies of existing flexible manufacturing systems, pinpoints current limitations and research gaps, analyzes which areas could be improved by implementing AI methods and tools. The drawbacks of current solutions and existing AI capabilities are analyzed. Current solutions and AI-enhanced approaches are summarized and possible benefits of AI integration are highlighted. As a result, optimization strategies and procedures tailored to particular production processes will be developed in a future study.