After becoming the central element for sustainability performance measurements, such as in GRI, the study of materiality has become a trend in both the academic and business worlds. Tracking materiality helps to map the sustainable actions that are most relevant to companies and their stakeholders. This way, it is possible to optimize resources and remove unnecessary activities in business operations. The main objective of this work is to investigate how materiality can help make the manufacturing process more sustainable. This article was derived from a systematic review conducted in previous works. To point out trends, expert interviews were conducted. The aim was to provide support for the practical implementation of the theory. The results show that once the effects of your application can be viewed as an indicator (measuring and reporting effectively sustainable results), there is a strong tendency to apply materiality to productive processes, such as benchmarking (getting the best market practices), or even as a tool for performance optimization (improving the efficiency of the organization). Due to these factors, the topic covered here is essential for industry continuity. 

The aim of this study is to validate the cycle of sustainability performance measurement in the context of materiality. The study examines whether materiality contributes to the progress of the area through the framework proposed by Andy Neely. To do so, the paper explores the five questions that could guide future field research. One of the limitations is that the topic addressed was explored from the viewpoint of the performance measurement GRI, more specifically in its latest G4 version. The guideline perceives materiality as the key element for sustainable reporting, so the principle should be studied to see how important it is to industries. Results show that materiality contributes to the maturity of the topic by providing the necessary support for the theory introduced by Neely, more specifically the framework of the article “The evolution of performance measurement research: Developments in the last decade and a research agenda for the next”. Consequently, Neely’s future agenda was debated with the concepts of materiality applied in the practical environment of business. This document meets the identified need to explore the materiality tool, since the field needs future research due to little literature found.

The purpose of this study is to identify several renewable and clean energy sources and investigate their accessibility. The structuring of the energetic sources was outlined to display the advantages and disadvantages of their use. To do so, the literature review method and the snowball method were used as the research methodology. Previous results had determined the elements of a sample of the main existing forms of energy. Therefore, this research analysed the following sources: solar energy, wind energy, hydroelectric power, thermoelectric energy with renewable fuels, tidal energy, biogas energy, geothermal energy and hydrogen energy. The results discuss the benefits of using sustainable energies, such as being helpful to the environment, as well as the implementation obstacles that, in this case, are stripped down to the high financial cost of initial investment. Because no previous research provided a structure to compare different energy forms, this study is expected to act as an initial guide for researchers and professionals in the field. As a limitation and recommendation for future research efforts, it is suggested to discover and verify mechanisms capable of reducing the high initial investment costs associated with sustainable energies.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é verificar se a materialidade pode ser uma considerada uma competência de transformação organizacional na concepção sustentável. Uma intenção secundária é listar e ranquear outras possíveis competências que possibilitem alterar o cenário corporativo por meio das premissas do Triple Bottom Line. A abordagem empregada para resolver esta lacuna é o estudo Delphi. O método é responsável pela extração de um consenso entre especialistas no assunto. Para a ordenação das competências, uma ferramenta do Qualtrics e o Método Mudge foram selecionados. Este último tem como objetivo minimizar fatores subjetivos que estão inerentes ao cotidiano do ser humano, proporcionando uma tomada de decisão mais eficaz. Como um dos principais achados, esta pesquisa retornou 9 competências necessárias para realizar transformação organizacional na vertente citada. Além disso, confirmou que a materialidade pode ser considerada uma destas competências, e que ela pode contribuir para a seleção e, consequentemente, ajudar as empresas a alcançarem os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável. A limitação deste trabalho está na ausência de orientações detalhes de como implementar tais competências no cotidiano organizacional. Como originalidade, este paper destaca-se ao ser o primeiro ao abordar as competências necessárias para transformação com os pilares sustentáveis e também ao dar aplicabilidade ao conceito recém-desenvolvido de materialidade.

Este estudio tiene como objetivo comprender la implementación de la teoría de la materialidad en la perspectiva de la sostenibilidad corporativa. Ya que el enfoque para conducir la aplicación no es claro, fue necesario realizar una investigación-acción para verificar las principales barreras en la aplicación de la teoría organizada de la Global Reporting Initiative. Para ello, la investigación utilizó el concepto de Sala de Clase Invertida con alumnos de dos clases de sexto período de Ingeniería de Producción. La comprensión e interpretación de estos datos fueron hechas mediante el análisis de contenido en el software ATLAS.ti. Como resultado y principal contribución académica, este estudio precedió a una aplicación real en el ambiente empresarial, así, además de eliminar los posibles problemas de desarrollo en el abordaje, el artículo tendrá la función de ser el eslabón intermediario entre la teoría y la práctica en la aplicación de la materialidad en entornos empresariales. La limitación del artículo se expone en el muestreo, pero esta poca experiencia práctica de los alumnos con el tema también puede ser presenciada en las organizaciones por medios de sus colaboradores que, a menudo, pueden desconocer el enfoque de la teoría. El aspecto de originalidad es presentado por ser, hasta entonces, la primera investigación que simula una aplicación de materialidad.

An organisation's sustainability performance is influenced by its capabilities (skills, resources and competences) which in turn affects the performance of its entire supply chain. However, recent research has not sufficiently explored the convergence of dynamic capabilities, circular economy, resilience and Industry 4.0 concepts for manufacturing supply chains. Therefore, this study aims to identify how dynamic capabilities theory can enable circular and resilient supply chains. A qualitative research process was deployed in three stages: literature review, European project and nine expert interviews. Key investigative variables were used to identify capabilities used in manufacturing, and five research propositions were developed to address the gaps found in literature. The empirical data helped reveal challenges to circular economy implementation and validate the literature findings. The main contributions include a dynamic capabilities model, a causal relationship model and five research propositions for circular economy implementation.

In the last few decades the competitive context development trajectory is leading companies to increase their contribution for sustainable development. Stakeholders' accountability demands are being reflected in present multidisciplinary regulatory framework that is formed by standards, guidelines and guidance reports, and allows markets and society to have evidences from sustainable behavior, which is certified or formally agreed or signatory by companies. Operations strategy performance information could be addressed to a set of evolutionary performance indicators, which could represent sustainability present performance, and also could orient companies in reaching higher performance levels according to a preset maturity trajectory. The objective of this paper is to develop a process for generating an integrated set of performance measures for managing sustainability at value chain or operations system level. An applied research was conducted based on action research approach, operationalized by Cambridge process or engineering approach, and managed in research process management cycle. Performance measures are formally and detailed defined as metadata. Process application not only allows a better understanding on how sustainability indicators could be integrated and related to a maturity model, but also created an information system that could be used for auditing, assessment and reporting sustainability performance.

Manufacturers are facing increasing pressures to adapt their operations to meet sustainability goals. Research and developments on industrial digitalization (aka Industry 4.0) present new opportunities to create and capture value in ever-more complex and connected industrial systems. However, digitalization does not always align with sustainability, and case studies combining these two topics are still scarce. To address these gaps, we adopted a bottom-up approach to (1) identify existing environmental solutions and their implemen\tation challenges by reviewing 208 empirical studies, and (2) formulate eight propositions to guide further work so that digitalization supports environmental improvements more systematically. Finally, a framework for Digitalized Sustainable Manufacturing consisting of four research themes is proposed, pointing to future research needed to align industrial development with sustainable development goals. The propositions and framework aim to structure and focus future research by targeting specifically the challenges encountered when implementing environmental solutions in manufacturing.

For over 15 years, the concept of Industry 4.0, now transitioning into Industry 5.0, has been a focal point for the manufacturing sector. Yet, the success of companies in embracing digital transformation varies. There are numerous models and assessment tools for assessing digital readiness and maturity. Several models have been developed over the years, but firms also realize no “one-size-fits-all” exists when testing them. Previous studies show that firms must take charge of their own digital transformation (DT) journey to find a path that suits their specific needs.This qualitative paper is driven by a case study supported by a within-case analysis conducted with a heavy-machine industry with fourteen production plants worldwide – data collected from 2020 to 2023.Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE), created Factory 4 Tomorrow (F4T) to address Industry 4.0. The central challenge for the F4T initiative was how to facilitate an inside-outside approach to identify an inclusive maturity model that emphasizes learning and collaboration. A diagnostic of opportunities model was created to aid the organisation’s transformation journey. It aimed to support all plants by evaluating their maturity in digital transformation, identifying gaps, and support in prioritising. Unlike traditional models that assess and compare plant levels, this model aimed to foster awareness and alignment, establishing a shared language. Thus, a unique model was explicitly crafted for the firm. The process of developing the model itself enhanced awareness and alignment. Therefore, this paper explores the development process - failures and successes - to compile a digital transformation maturity model tailor-made to a firm’s needs and goals. The objective is to offer comprehensive advice for firms to implement DT initiatives effectively in a way that suits them.

A função Operação vislumbra-se como um veículo positivo e eficaz para lidar com as imperativas questões da Sustentabilidade, devendo, então, se tornar a área central da organização e a força motriz da estratégia. Ressalta-se que as tecnologias digitais da Indústria 4.0 têm potencial para gerar capacidades para o cumprimento de tais objetivos sustentáveis. Assim, esta pesquisa temcomo objetivo principal propor um modelo processual de Operações Sustentáveis baseado em tecnologias digitais da I40. Para tanto, duas abordagens são integradas: de processo (Cambridge) e multicritério. Mais especificamente, foram desenvolvidas três principais fases. A primeira fase - denominada "Requerimentos do mercado" - tem como objetivo diagnosticar os objetivos de desempenho mais prioritários pela Matriz Importância & Desempenho. O segundo - denominado "Auditoria sobre a Operação" - visa classificar as tecnologias digitais mais críticas pelo modelo PROMETHEE-ROC. Na terceira fase tem-se o levantamento e priorização das capacitações consideradas mais críticas utilizando o modelo FI-Tradeoff.

Organizations are influenced by external demands which can be represented by changes on the markets organizations are part of. Companies are operating on a new context, where the importance of sustainability has been highlighted by events such as environmental problems, social responsibility issues and quality assurance of products and services. Those aspects are represented by the areas of the Triple Bottom-Line (3BL), which treat organizations operational performance on economic, environmental and social aspects. However, organizations are still trying to develop new performance measurement systems, which relate to the 3BL and that can be used for sustainable performance assessment and benchmarking. In order to address this need, this research aims to develop a process that enables standards and guidelines to be used as tools for the establishment of a performance measurement system which can address the needs of integrated management on behalf of sustainability aspects. The method used on the development of this article is based on concepts of the Process Approach methodology from Cambridge University, as well as Business Process Management Notation to represent processes for performance assessment. Those processes were built with a high emphasis on Performance Assessment frameworks and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) theories. The processes generated have been applied in a project of innovation in sustainable management, in which its application enabled to work with requirements from various standards and guidelines in a practical context, through the usage of indicators and performance measurement. Exemplifying the application of this process, the article will aim to clarify the usage of indicators based on standards and guidelines as a tool for sustainability assessment, through an integrated management of an organization set of standards and guidelines.

Manufacturing companies have been facing a dynamic environment due the Industry 4.0 and sustainable development phenomena and, consequently, a greatest attention from researchers has been attracted to investigate how the 4th Industrial Revolution interact or influence sustainable manufacturing. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the academic progress regarding Industry 4.0 and Sustainable Manufacturing simultaneously, offering as the main result a review content analysis. More specifically, a bibliometric analysis provides a list of prominent journals and popular conferences and the summary of the main authors and their institutions. Moreover, a content analysis presents a semantic network, illustrating current research efforts and suggesting future research directions, identified by topics. In sum, the first topic suggests the need to explore and comprehend the interaction between the areas. The second topic brings the importance to analyse and understand requirements needed to successfully implement. The last topic shows the different ways to implement and assess the sustainable manufacturing in the context of Industry 4.0.

In the field of content analysis, there are several methods that aim to compare texts and analyze them to determine whether they are equivalent. Within the content analysis, we found techniques used to compare and correlate texts. Some of them are present in computational tools such as the Sphinx and Atlati. In General, these tools are closed solutions of difficult integration with other systems. In this context, it is not possible to set up an automated process including these tools. This difficulty became evident during operation activities of a sustainability indicators formulation model proposed by Machado et al. 2012. In this paper, the aim is to develop a content correlation methodology and make it operational in the form of an automated process of similar correlation texts and or equivalents. The research was driven by a methodological organization process. This process is the combination of methodological tools: action research, BPM Cycle-Business Process Management, Project Management and Process Approach. The correlation process developed by this research makes it possible to correlate texts that are grouped so that assignments are made that determine a degree of correlation between texts. It is known that with this model it is not possible to determine which texts are equivalent between themselves exactly, however, there is a qualifying list of correlation between the group texts.

As empresas estão enfrentando problemas para integração e plena implementação da sustentabilidade. Esta é uma questão complexa e multidisciplinar, que exige que as empresas sejam confrontadas com dilemas e decisões com diferentes objetivos e valores. Estratégias de operações sustentáveis podem ajudar nesta questão, porque representam a integração das dimensões do triple tripé da sustentabilidade nas operações. No entanto, há lacunas de modelos ou estruturas que apoiem estratégias de operações sustentáveis. Modelos de maturidade são indicados para cenários complexos e estão sendo aplicadas em diferentes campos. Este estudo considera que competências relacionadas com a gestão operações de operações sustentáveis podem ser agrupadas e associadas à um framework de maturidade, representando um caminho evolutivo que apoia as empresas no processo de integração da sustentabilidade. Assim, o principal objetivo desta pesquisa é compilar uma estrutura de maturidade para operações sustentáveis, indicado para empresas de manufatura, que podem utilizá-lo para evoluir na implementação e integração da sustentabilidade nos negócios. Questões de sustentabilidade exigem múltiplas abordagens para um entendimento amplo. Esta pesquisa busca estender o conceito de triangulação, onde o modelo proposto está baseado em quatro fontes principais: literatura (acadêmica e profissional); estudos de casos, painéis de especialistas, e levantamento de dados via pesquisa survey. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida em três fases, que envolvem um conjunto de métodos qualitativos e quantitativos a fim de: (1) Identificar o estado da arte relacionado com a sustentabilidade e a gestão de operações; (2) desenvolver um framework teórico-prático de maturidade para a gestão de operações sustentáveis; e, (3) aperfeiçoar o framework e aplicar o conceito de maturidade em um estudo prático. Esta pesquisa contribui e soma esforços para o desenvolvimento de estudos sobre a gestão de operações sustentável. A contribuição global da pesquisa é a organização de competências em dimensões de operações sustentáveis, que podem ser geridas de maneira integrada e evoluir de forma a permitir que as empresa atinjam níveis mais elevados de integração da sustentabilidade. Contribui também ao mitigar a lacuna de frameworks que promovam o alinhamento entre as decisões operacionais e as metas de desempenho com as questões de sustentabilidade, e também auxilia as empresas a se tornarem mais sustentáveis, ajudando a orientar a estratégia, a auditar o nível de integração de sustentabilidade e a desenvolver um sistema de gestão de desempenho de sustentabilidade.

The business and management environment is influenced by political, organizational, institutional, technological, economic and social phenomena of a global scope. Thus, capturing, registering, organizing and disseminating information and knowledge plays a strategic role in organizations. The objective of this paper is to present a case study of an organization that is developing a Knowledge Management project, analyzing its initiative in order to classify the stage at which the company’s knowledge management cycle is at and to relate this cycle to other management instruments it has. The following instruments were used to raise and collect data: individual interviews and bibliographic study. This paper represents an important contribution to the study of knowledge management, demonstrating new technologies that can leverage organizational change and trigger a new understanding of Knowledge Management.

Digitalization and the use of advanced technologies for more flexible and resource efficient production processes are changing the industrial competitive environment. However, new technologies are not seldom implemented without the whole organization being ready to fully utilize its benefits. This readiness can be expressed as organizational digital maturity. Previous studies identified that the level of digitalization is increasing, but, in many cases, due to lack of foundation, it is not aligned with the business strategy and/or supported by the organizational and technological infrastructures. There is a gap in existing models to provide practical starting-up steps to support the organizational digital readiness. A conceptual readiness framework for organizational digital readiness was tested through the analysis and reflection of four cases implemented by a Swedish manufacturing company. Findings point out that it is important to create a proper organizational foundation, a readiness, to ensure a company to evolve in digital maturity. That can be developed based on three main stages of change management practices. The tool can be used to identify the organizational readiness and thereby the gaps and thresholds necessary to overcome. This will enable companies to utilize the technology level necessary to increase cost and resource efficiency, and hence competitiveness. In addition, dimensions and a roadmap for organizational, digital, and smart readiness is presented.

The implementation of the management model with a Sustainable Manufacturing (SM) approach means thinking of processes that use natural resources in a responsible manner, promote the health and safety of all those involved and the integration of production cycle processes (production - distribution - consumption - recovery).

Literature shows that to make this management model feasible, it is recommended to map the entire production chain and the life cycle of products and processes.

One of the possible methods to map this process is to produce the Inventories in the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), which makes an environmental balance of the processes and creates indicators for monitoring and decision making. With the construction of the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI), a clear flow chart is created of the entire manufacturing process, all the input and output flows and energy and the balance between them.

This means that a detailed map of the entire production process is obtained. With these details, it is possible to develop products, opt for technologies with better results, select significant environmental indicators and reformulate products or the process. The analysis of all life cycle phases permits the identification and evaluation of the process’ critical phases, the opportunity to optimize inputs and energy, to indicate the most appropriate metrics for controlling and analyzing performance, and most especially, improve environmental performance, indicating the Life Cycle phase where impacts occur as well as identifying opportunities for greater economic efficiency and innovation. These data provide tangible subsidies for decision making based on sustainability criteria.

Through a review of literature, this paper proposes underscoring the importance of LCA in implementing SM, seeking to be an incentive for more in-depth research and for the creation of proposals that can make LCA accessible to the entire production sector in the country as soon as possible.

Brazil is in the initial phase of development of this management instrument with national characteristics and it does not deny the fact there is still a way to go before LCA can become accessible to most companies. This is mainly due to the difficulties in producing LCI as a result of costs as well as the need for complete chain information (reliability) and the existence of few LCI databases and a standard methodology to be applied in the country, important items for making the analyses feasible. This is of fundamental importance to promote the good positioning of Brazilian companies in the global market since other countries, mainly those in Europe, have been seeking sustainable equilibrium for a longer time.

The paper shows it is not possible to establish truly sustainable production processes without carrying out a LCA, and it also shows the method’s direct relation to standardization processes, such as ISO 14001. We conclude that only a joint effort by the government, companies, universities, research institutes and class entities will make it feasible to use the system in the country.

Several authors have been dedicating their efforts to understand and map topics and themes in the field of Industrial Engineering (IE), particularly those related to Operations Management (OM), with special regard to sustainability. Bibliometric analyses were performed by using information collected from 495 selected papers in nine OM-related international databases, based on the keywords “Sustainability” and “Operations Management”. Results pointed out to the evolution of the subject over the past two decades, the relationship among authors in their network of research, its effect on productivity and the related research topics. The results also indicated the main developing issues, authors, institutions and journals most devoted to the subject and the contribution of the study by establishing OM as a discipline in Industrial Engineering. Finally, the current paper will offer an overview of the trends for further research on sustainability into the OM field.

Emergent technologies and additive manufacturing have a significant role in shaping the future of manufacturing, enabling companies to produce complex products and parts in a more efficient and sustainable way. However, companies are struggling to identify and achieve the full potential of the technology from a sustainability perspective. The purpose of this paper is to develop a checklist to assess the sustainability performance of additive manufacturing adoption and exploitation, based on secondary data from the academic literature, technical reports, and company cases. Results rely on the identification of critical sustainability aspects for additive manufacturing and key performance indicators. 

The traditional view of production systems relies on the organization of physical and information flows enabling customer satisfaction with products or services, following inputs from strategy, policies, rules and principles, supported by tools, systems and methods, and improved through performance management systems. Moving forward to new levels of industrialization, smart manufacturing represents systems integration and automation supported by Cyber-Physical-Systems (CPS) to enable more autonomous, agile and sustainable production processes, which can at the same time be influenced by, as well as influencing the organizational system in real time. As a new managerial topic, this research paper intends to study and systematically organize the literature related to smart manufacturing and production systems design in order to identify whether smart manufacturing can be implemented through the production systems approach and, if so, what are the requirements for implementation and integration of different management systems (e.g. quality, and environment systems).

Several authors have been devoted their research projects to understand and map research topics and themes studied in the field of Industrial Engineering (IE), particularly those related to Operations Management (OM), aiming to contribute to the field scope delimitation, identifying for that purpose its main authors and their contribution for theory and practice. This study seeks to frame this knowledge regarding to sustainability research. Bibliometrics and statistics analysis were performed using information collected from 500 selected papers in nine international databases related to OM field, based on the keywords "Sustainability" and "Operations Management". Results point to a central set of nineteen authors whose work is strongly related to sustainability issues. All information are systematized generating descriptive statistics, network graphs and multivariate matrices for research topics, methodologies, outlets, main academic and normative references. Thus, this paper contributes with an overview of trends and gaps for future research in sustainability concerning operations management field.

Business sustainability integration is a complex task and strongly linked to operations management. The challenge is to conduct more sustainable operations through companies? value chain and their network. In sustainable operations management area, maturity models have been developed for specific purposes. However, there is a lack of models that considers sustainability integration through the evolution of sustainable operations? capabilities. Based on literature review, case studies and expert panels, this paper develops and proposes a maturity framework defined by sustainable operations management theory. Its is possible to identify an evolutionary path, which goes from an initial approach focused in compliance aspects and firm?s value protection to an innovative approach, based on corporate social responsibility supporting operations? integration in a sustainable system, and long-term values development. The experts? panel identified key processes areas that need to be prioritized in each level, and also analyzed the adaptation of some elements from Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) to sustainable maturity framework design and development.

Business sustainability integration is a complex task and strongly linked to operations management. In fact, sustainability based approaches demand operations management boundaries' expansion, creation and integration of new performance goals into traditional company's performance management system, and new criteria and policies for operations' decision areas development. The challenge is to conduct more sustainable operations through companies' value chain and their operations network. Maturity models have been used in different areas as a process improvement and change management model for complex contexts. In sustainable operations management area, maturity models have been developed for specific purposes, e.g., sustainable production, sustainable supply chain management, corporate social responsibility, and life cycle management. However, there is a lack of models that considers sustainability integration through the evolution of sustainable operations' capabilities in an integrated way. Based on literature review and results from two panel studies conducted with academics and practitioners, this paper proposes a maturity framework for sustainability integration guided by sustainable operations capabilities evolution. The findings pointed out that its is possible to identify an evolutionary path, which goes from an initial approach focused in compliance aspects and firm's value protection to an innovative approach, based on corporate social responsibility supporting operations' integration in a sustainable system, and long-term values development. The experts' studies identified key processes that need to be prioritized in each level, and also evaluate the adaptation of some elements from Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) to sustainable maturity framework design. The framework represents company's vision regarding its value chain and operations network, and it is indicated for manufacturing companies.

The concepts associated with sustainability have been gradually incorporated into business models in recent years. Particularly in the field of Operations Management (OM), the adoption of new performance indicators and the revision of operations strategy content and process frameworks are changing the way companies manage their operations regarding sustainability, creating the right conditions for new operations management model development. Such models were created in order to assess the impact and to characterize the progress of new initiatives in sustainability in the economic, environmental and social spheres (Triple Bottom Line-TBL). This paper, based on academic literature and professional models, proposes a framework for verifying the level of maturity of sustainable operations. Its distinguishing aspect contemplates the integrated approach over TBL along five proposed maturity levels, followed by descriptions of context, structure, processes, value chain and functional recommendations on implementation. The main objective of the Sustainable Operations Maturity Model (SOMM) is to be applied as a managerial tool to support organizations when evaluating the integration of sustainability into their strategies, and especially to provide guidelines for the evolution of sustainable operation processes.

The trend of globalization stimulated discussions concerning sustainability, creating a new context and, as a consequence, a new strategic operations vision related to the production of goods and services. Companies start to manage their processes seeking not to compromise the needs and interests of their stakeholders, adopting best practices in corporate governance and continuously assessing the impact of their operations on society and the environment in general, as well as on quality of working life in particular. This article purpose is to develop a sustainability indicators formulation process that could be applied to companies’ value chain operations, observing corporate governance best practices and the 3BL model, and taking as references a group of standards and guidelines based on the construction of socially responsible organizations, in relation to sustainable development: ISO 26000, ISO 14000, OHSAS 18000, SA 8000, ISO 9001, Global Compact and others. The methodology adopted is Cambridge’s Process Approach, in which the requirements presented by standards and guidelines set performance strategic objectives that could be converted into concrete actions that will be managed, evaluated and measured through sustainability indicators. These indicators are structured by performance measurement systems theoretical models integration, the insertion and categorization of the requirements referring to standards at the operations value chain context, and the structure of decision areas that bounds operations strategy. The validation of the formulated sustainability indicators consists of aspects regarding its consistency, accuracy, updatability and justification, together with its characteristics related to feasibility, utility and usability. Based on process application in a sustainable management innovation project, its usefulness in clarifying the standards requirements was verified. Additionally, a better view of the existent relationships between different standards, correlation between indicators, for measurement optimization and management was identified, in complement to a more direct association with the operations value chain. Therefore, the operations management based on indicators creates conditions for the continuous evaluation of the operations strategy in a sustainable development context.

Sustainable operations have developed a strategic role for enterprises’ competitiveness, particularly when they are connected to product and/or process improvement, new markets, and risk management. Some companies are differentiating themselves through sustainability, showing innovative solutions for incorporating sustainable practices. This paper explores identifying patterns in sustainable practices adoption. Three Brazilian companies were studied for characterizing their sustainable operations management models. The results pointed that patterns are emerging but companies are still reaching difficulties to integrated sustainability to their competitive strategies, business models and value chain. Also the results contribute for identifying recommendations that can be followed to establish a sustainable operations management model.

Digitalization is changing the business environment and companies face challenges to make progress. A first step to support companies is to verify their digital readiness, capabilities, and developing clear plans for improvement. This paper aims to evaluate the digital readiness of seven companies through the application of a self-check tool, followed by a deeper investigation through a case study, to identify reasons, challenges/barriers and enablers towards digitalization. A workshop was conducted to evaluate the use of a self-check tool and collect other analysis. Results include the readiness level and comparison between companies, actions and practices towards increased digitalization. 

This systematic review intends to identify how sustainable manufacturing research is contributing to the development of the Industry 4.0 agenda and for a broader understanding about the links between the Industry 4.0 and Sustainable Manufacturing by mapping and summarising existing research efforts, identifying research agendas, as well as gaps and opportunities for research development. A conceptual framework formed by the principles and technological pillars of Industry 4.0, sustainable manufacturing scope, opportunities previously identified, and sustainability dimensions, guided analysis of 35 papers from 2008–2018, selected by a systematic approach. Bibliometrics data and social network analysis complement results identifying how research is being organised and its respective research agendas, relevant publications, and status of the research lifecycle. Results point to that the current research is aligned with the goals defined by different national industrial programs. There are, however, research gaps and opportunities for field development, becoming more mature and having a significant contribution to fully developing the agenda of Industry 4.0. 

Purpose

This research aims to identify and organise the conditions of organisational readiness for digital transformation.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study comprises three case studies within manufacturing companies from different sizes and industries located in Sweden. Plant visits and in-depth interviews bring to light companies' experiences with initial steps towards digital transformation. A set of conditions for digital organisational readiness was translated into a questionnaire and tested with one of the studied companies.

Findings

This paper organises and tests digital organisational readiness conditions to support companies' initial steps on digital transformation. The results are put in perspective of established change management theory and previous studies about digital transformation. The findings will conclude in a questionnaire to support dialogue and digital organisational readiness assessments.

Research limitations/implications

Additional conditions for the initial phase of digital transformation could possibly be found if more cases had been included in the study.

Practical implications

The article identifies a set of conditions translated into a questionnaire that should be used as a dialogue tool to create strategic alignment and support companies in their initial discussions. If this process can be faster and more efficient, the company can achieve a competitive advantage against competitors.

Originality/value

This research's relevance relies on the fact that companies are advancing in adopting digital technologies without being ready from an organisational perspective. This gap creates barriers for companies' digital maturing processes, stopping them from having full access to digital technologies' benefits.

Many companies start a journey towards becoming more digital, seeking to improve productivity, flexibility, resource efficiency, and safety. However, some are looking for guidelines on how to organize themselves to reach these goals. Assuming that digital maturity goes beyond technology, requiring a transformation in business, this paper explores the content of existing digital maturity models, identifying practices and necessary capabilities for increasing digitalization towards more sustainable processes. Qualitative analysis of 21 digital maturity models and an assessment within eight Swedish companies allowed to identify their current-state, andthat digitalization implementation needs to be supported by specific organizational capabilities.

Integrating sustainability in companies’ agenda is a complex and multidisciplinary task. Based on the results of a survey conducted in 2015 with 106 respondents from manufacturing and infrastructure companies in Brazil, this research aims to verify the organization of a list of the main sustainable operations management capabilities that can provide companies with a path to achieve a higher level of maturity regarding sustainability integration. The research contributes by mitigating the lack of frameworks that seek alignment between operations with sustainability issues, helping to guide the strategy and to audit the level of sustainability integration.

The traditional food supply chains are vulnerable to external shocks, and this has been observable during the pandemic. Alternative food networks (AFNs) is seen as a potentially viable alternative to traditional food supply chains. AFNs encompass practices related to local food supply, involve few actors and promote sustainability. The purpose of this research is to identify strategies for sustainable AFNs, that enable growth and resilience during uncertain times. To achieve the purpose, the SCORE (Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities, Responses, Effectiveness) method is investigated. The main findings include an up-to-date overview of the strengths, challenges, opportunities, responses and effectiveness of AFNs in uncertain environments.

Sustainable operations practices of are being intensively assessed in the last few years and are opportunities for test the developed theory. The objective of this paper is to describe and analyse some ‘professional’ frameworks that are being proposed by professional associations and consulting firms. A basic content analysis is developed in order to identify evidences for sustainable maturity concepts adoption, CMMI adherence and scope definition. Results show an incomplete implementation focusing primarily on environmental aspects, however, it was found evidences for strategic sustainability management, governance structures based on multiple stakeholders, and models evolution based on continuous improvement and innovation management.

Companies are developing new models for assessing sustainability of their operations nets. They are engaging in an evolutionary trajectory that over time leads them to different levels of sustainability maturity. This paper proposes a set of maturity-based recommendations that could be used for reviewing operations strategy. Recommendations are developed based on the following premises: there is an evolutionary development of operations management models regarding sustainable issues; these models have been consolidated in the last ten years; there are evidences in literature that could be used to trace models evolution.

Digitalization of manufacturing is once again on the industry application research agenda and Digital Manufacturing plays a fundamental role in this process. However, there is a lack of commonality in the literature about the purpose of Digital Manufacturing. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the concept and application domain of Digital Manufacturing considering the increasingly established Industry 4.0 paradigm. Based on a content analysis concepts are framed, and new technological characteristics identified. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the future challenges that companies face by positioning Digital Manufacturing conceptually and delimiting its application domain. 

The pressure from society regarding organizations orienting businesses in relation to sustainable development has driven the emergence of new laws, regulations, international commitments and standards, which are contributing to the construction of a regulatory framework for sustainable production. This article aims to define a methodology based on content analysis for the study of the regulatory framework for sustainable production. The presented methodology was based on strategies of content analysis and utilized the software Atlas.TI to operationalize the process. The results present a framework with the purpose of analyzing documents and the application of the model on a set of standards, guidelines and reports related to sustainable production. The study also seeks to contribute to the field of Production Engineering by deepening the content analysis of the regulatory framework, seeking to identify guidelines, recommendations and indicators for sustainability in operations.  In addition, by the views of the value chain and maturity levels, the analyzed documents may be associated with the needs of sustainable operations, highlighting general guidance and strategic approaches provided by the content analysis of the content of the standards, guidelines and reports oriented to sustainability, helping in linking those documents with organizational strategy.

Este estudo analisa a estrutura do conhecimento a respeito de pesquisa sobre sustentabilidade na área da Engenharia de Produção, particularmente aqueles relacionados à Gestão de Operações. Análises bibliométricas e quantitativas (testes estatísticos) foram realizadas utilizando informações coletadas de 495 trabalhos selecionados em nove bases de dados internacionais relacionadas ao campo da gestão de operações, com base em palavras-chave "Sustentabilidade" e "Gestão de Operações". Resultados apontam para a evolução do assunto durante as últimas duas décadas, a relação entre autores na rede de pesquisas e seu efeito sobre a produção. Assim, este estudo contribui com para o mapeamento da estrutura intelectual e aponta das tendências e lacunas para futuras pesquisas em sustentabilidade no campo da Gestão de Operações.