A Conceptual Framework and Ontological Classification for the Intelligent Design of Agri-Food SME Plant Layouts Under Industry 5.0

Facility layout planning (FLP) in the agri-food sector faces unique complexities due to product perishability, biosafety regulations, and Industry 5.0 (I5.0) requirements. The reviewed literature is skewed toward static formulations that overlook detailed layout, demand uncertainty, and social sustainability. In response, a targeted review, reported following PRISMA 2020, and expert judgement yielded an ontological classification of ten characteristics influencing detailed agri-food layouts, whose relevance and relationships were supported by five external experts (S-CVI/Ave = 0.96); the system roles proposed by the authors were not reproduced in a blind assignment and remain modelling hypotheses. We then develop an eight-pillar conceptual framework addressing dynamic multi-period planning, stochastic uncertainty, multi-objective optimisation, comprehensive sustainability, human-centric ergonomics, operation-level routing, a bottom-up approach, and perishability as an endogenous variable. A diagnostic case study of an agri-food small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) illustrates how the classification structures the diagnosis of layout inefficiencies, such as products reaching customers with reduced shelf life. Aligned with I5.0 principles, this research provides a conceptual basis for models that treat perishability and human well-being as core design variables. The classification applies mainly to agri-food SMEs operating under make-to-order and just-in-time strategies; large make-to-stock manufacturers should also consider product homogeneity and storage-based product types.