International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

The paper investigates the specific role of quality management systems (QMS) as a factor for green transition and circular economy in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the context of Industry 5.0. Based on a sub-sample of 209 SMEs (from n = 250 Bulgarian industrial enterprises), a targeted statistical analysis was conducted. Results show that QMS maturity in SMEs is significantly lower than in large enterprises, but the effect of its growth on the Green Transition Index (GTI) is proportionally stronger. The regression model for SMEs explains 61.4% of GTI variation (R² = 0.614), with integrated ISO 9001 + ISO 14001 systems remaining the strongest predictor (β = 0.271; p < 0.001). Specific barriers facing SMEs are identified and targeted recommendations are formulated.

The paper presents the design and construction process of a series of four multipurpose ships for SME shipyard with some restrictions in production facilities. This process is based on software that is available free or the some tasks could be subcontracted by SME. The main dimensions are optimized by the system “Expert” and hull forms are generated by PolyCAD. Due to the restriction in the production facilities the ships are with the same breadth and for additional unification the depth is also equal. Three different hull structure topologies are evaluated by MARS2000 software and modeled by AVEVA Marine design software. The analysis includes evaluation of manhours for construction of parallel mid-body of the all variants. The analysis takes into account the restricted preassembly space and human recourse, lifting capacity of building crane, geometry of building slipway etc. Some conclusions for labor intensity and inf luence of series function are made based on the presented data.

Today, it is imperative that small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are the backbone of any economy, make the transition to the Industry 4.0 paradigm and adopt new technologies to improve business and become competitive in the marketplace. Some SMEs in the metalworking industry in Croatia face the challenges of achieving and maintaining a competitive position in the market within the Industry 4.0 paradigm. Due to problems with inadequate enterprise information systems, without the application of innovative technologies, due to obsolete machinery and equipment in production, enterprises cannot compete in a globalized market. Enterprises need to respond quickly to customized and individualized customer requirements and need to be flexible for producing numerous versions of products in small batches. To achieve this, enterprises need to introduce new innovative technologies of Industry 4.0, such as Big Data, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, RFID technology, …
The objective of this paper is to review RFID technology and propose a conceptual model for the application of RFID technology in a metalworking enterprise in Croatia. That enterprise belongs to the category of SMEs that represent the basis of the economy of each country. The paper describes the problems faced by the company in production monitoring and gives a proposal for the application of RFID technology to monitor the production and to facilitate production management using an ERP system.

The open innovation is a concept of growing acceptance in the field of innovation management. It is based on the idea that companies can leverage the knowledge generated externally to improve their innovation performance. Open innovation as a process can promote shorter innovation cycles, increase in industrial research, and better optimization of the resources. However the process of open integration is much harder for implementations in SMEs than larger enterprises. The reasons behind the low integration of the open innovation as a process can be seen in the low capacity of the SMEs to deal with the open innovation process, low awareness of the benefits of the open innovation process, lack of knowledge for the intellectual law and rights, etc. This paper is based on the empirical research on 63 SMEs, in order to determine the factors (reasons) for low implementation of the open innovation process in the SMEs in Republic of Macedonia.