Surveying the landscape of Human-Centric Manufacturing in Lombardy: insights from the practices and perspectives of Italian enterprises

Abstract

The ongoing technological changes raise the need for socially sustainable paths of digital innovation, putting technology at the service of humans positioned at the centre of production processes. Indeed, in digital factories, where increasingly complex and high-performance models and technologies are strongly considered, humans have been almost neglected. In that sense, Industry 5.0 recognizes worker well-being as a driver for the transition toward smart factories. However, human-centric manufacturing is still an early-stage concept, thus lacking standardized terminology and frameworks. The development of a shared understanding is also hindered by stakeholders being concerned about job displacement, costs, or uncertainty about the benefits. This article aims to bridge that gap by mapping the state-of-the-art of several Italian companies in terms of technology readiness and human friendliness, thus providing best practices and solutions to foster the technological transition required by Industry 5.0 and the development of trustworthy human-machine synergies. A specific survey questionnaire was developed to evaluate the digitalization level of companies in terms of funds destination, technology development, and integration with operators. The data gathered through the survey allowed the definition of a model that highlights a general attitude toward innovation and human centrality, even though the latter still results far from maturity.