Smart production planning and control: do all planning environments need to be smart?

Abstract

As part of Industry 4.0, the concept of smart production planning and control (PPC) is emerging. In this paper we develop a theoretical framework that links the characteristics of a company’s planning environment with the need for smart PPC. We show that the potential of smart PPC to improve performance increases with the complexity of the planning environment. The framework is tested in four empirical cases and shows that smart PPC is strongly needed in some planning environments, while in others not. The framework can assist companies in prioritising the areas where smart PPC has the highest potential.