by Jelena Milisavljevic-Syed, Abdulrahman Alqoud, Jiahong Li and Mohammed Khan
The Institution of Engineering and Technology, 2026
Cloth: 978-1-80705-016-0 | eISBN: 978-1-80705-017-7 (PDF)

ABOUT THIS BOOK | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) face growing pressure to modernise in response to volatile market demand, increasing product complexity, and rapid technological change. At the same time, they are expected to improve sustainability performance, strengthen data transparency, and respond more quickly to operational disruption. Although Industry 4.0 has introduced significant opportunities through cyber-physical integration, connectivity, and data-driven decision-making, many SMEs continue to struggle with implementation. Financial constraints, legacy equipment, limited internal capabilities, and the risks associated with poorly sequenced adoption often prevent transformation from progressing beyond isolated initiatives. Flexible and responsive manufacturing systems (FRMS) represent the performance objective of this transition, but for SMEs the central challenge is not simply adopting advanced technologies; it is doing so through a structured and feasible pathway. This book positions that pathway as an incremental and decision-supported transformation process tailored to the operational realities of SMEs.