Abstract
Multi-stage manufacturing, typical in important industrial sectors, is inherently a complex process. The application of the zero-defect manufacturing (ZDM) philosophy, together with recent technological advances in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), presents significant challenges and opportunities for the implementation of new system architectures that contributes for the continuous improvement of the production. This paper describes the experience gained in the GO0D MAN project which aims at realizing a fully functional, replicable and therefore widely exploitable solution, employing multi-agent systems, smart on-line inspection tools, data analytics and knowledge management technologies. In particular, the paper presents the challenges tackled during the deployment of the GO0D MAN system architecture in three relevant industrial use cases, which represent more than 80% of the manufacturing sector.

Abstract
This paper describes the implementation of a modular, flexible and self-organized cyber-physical conveyor system build up with different individual modular and intelligent transfer modules. For this purpose, multi-agent systems (MAS) is used to distribute intelligence among transfer modules supporting plugability and modularity, complemented with self-organization capabilities to achieve a truly self-reconfigurable system. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract
Internet of Things (IoT) envisages a reality in which people and objects are interconnected in such a way that a series of services, previously unthinkable, become real. The impact of IoT technologies is already tangible in industry, particularly under the Industry 4.0 initiative, but yet far to be fully exploited in other areas, such as building automation. This paper highlights the importance of using IoT and other emergent technologies to develop building automation applications that serves as base in smart cities, particularly supporting the interoperability among home automation solutions provided by different manufacturers. For this purpose, a low cost IoT enabler solution for building automation is presented, based on the use of cyber-physical systems, as backbone to integrate different IoT technologies and building automation technologies. The proposed approach was successfully implemented in an open space laboratory.

Abstract
Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) still are the state-of-the-art regarding the industrial automation control, but the Industry 4.0 advent is imposing new requirements, e.g., related to the capability to acquire and process data on real-time at the edge computational layer. On the other hand, the current availability of cheaper and more powerful processors opens new windows to develop low-cost and more advanced industrial controllers aligned with the Industry 4.0 principles. In this context, an important challenge is to improve the current state-of-the-art PLCs by taking into consideration the low-cost but powerful computational boards that will allow to embed IoT technologies and data analytics. This work describes the development of a low-cost but powerful industrial controller based on the use of the single-board computer Raspberry Pi, which allows executing logic control programs codified in IEC 61131-3, IEC 61499, or even in Java or Python, while maintaining the industrial requirements. The proposed platform was experimentally used to control an automation process based on a Fischertechniks platform.

Abstract
The continuous change in the manufacturing world is demanding more flexible, responsive and accurate planning tools, which are able to assist the decision-makers to take tactical and strategic decisions on short notice with a high level of confidence. For this purpose, these tools should dynamically explore different operative scenarios in the planning procedure and produce information about key performance indicators. This paper describes the development of an agent-based strategic planner, combining the flexibility of multi-agent systems principles with the optimization capability of a Mixed Integral Programming technique. The tool is integrated in an ecosystem of heterogeneous decision-making systems through an Enterprise Service Bus that also provides access to legacy data. © 2015 IEEE.

Abstract
Agent-based systems, an approach derived from distributed artificial intelligence, have been introduced for designing large complex systems. They are also suitable to solve challenging problems in industrial environments, being an appropriate technology for realizing cyber-physical systems. In such configuration, they need to interface with automation and control devices. However, until now there is no widely accepted practice nor pattern to interface the software agents with the automation functions. This work addresses this issue and introduces corresponding integration patterns in order to achieve full interoperability and reusability. This work, therefore, provides a methodology for mapping existing practices into a set of generic templates and also discusses the applicability of the proposed approach to different industrial application domains. © 2018 IEEE.