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DESIGN AND OPERATION OF
PRODUCTION NETWORKS FOR
MASS PERSONALIZATION IN THE
ERA OF CLOUD TECHNOLOGY
This page intentionally left blank
DESIGN AND
OPERATION OF
PRODUCTION
NETWORKS
FOR MASS
PERSONALIZATION
IN THE ERA
OF CLOUD
TECHNOLOGY

Edited by

Dimitris Mourtzis
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
Elsevier
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The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, United Kingdom
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Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
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Notices
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Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-0-12-823657-4

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Publisher: Matthew Deans


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Typeset by STRAIVE, India
Contents

Contributors ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii

1. Introduction to cloud technology and Industry 4.0


Dimitris Mourtzis

1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Structure of the book 5
References 11

2. Expected trends in production networks for mass personalization


in the cloud technology era
Alexandre Dolgui, Dmitry Ivanov, Mirco Peron, and Fabio Sgarbossa

2.1 Introduction 13
2.2 Emerging technologies enabling new production paradigms 16
2.3 Trends in supply chain: Reconfigurable SC (X-network) and intertwined
supply network (ISN) 21
2.4 Trends in production systems: Factory production networks 25
2.5 Conclusions 30
References 31

3. Latest advances in cloud manufacturing and global production


networks enabling the shift to the mass personalization paradigm
Gisela Lanza, Sina Peukert, and Gwen Louis Steier

3.1 Motivation and section structure 39


3.2 Main characteristics of MPP 41
3.3 Global production networks (GPNs) and cloud manufacturing (CM) 44
3.4 Impact of MPP on the design and operation of GPNs 53
3.5 Practical examples 65
3.6 Summary and future research needs 71
References 73
Further reading 77

v
vi Contents

4. The mass personalization of global networks


Dimitris Mourtzis

4.1 Introduction 79
4.2 Evolution of manufacturing paradigms 81
4.3 Manufacturing networks life cycle 84
4.4 Industrial frameworks and case studies from mass customization (MC)
toward mass personalization (MP) 99
4.5 Discussion and outlook 107
4.6 Conclusions 109
References 110

5. Production management guided by industrial internet of things


and adaptive scheduling in smart factories
Dimitris Mourtzis, Nikos Panopoulos, and John Angelopoulos

5.1 Introduction 117


5.2 State of the art 123
5.3 Decision-making frameworks in smart factories 133
5.4 Production networks toward mass personalization 138
5.5 Discussion and outlook 141
5.6 Conclusions 146
References 147

6. Digital technologies as a solution to complexity caused by mass


personalization
Nikolaos Papakostas and Aswin K. Ramasubramanian

6.1 Introduction 153


6.2 Digital technologies for product development 155
6.3 Product data and lifecycle management platforms 170
6.4 Conclusions and outlook 174
References 175

7. Innovative smart scheduling and predictive maintenance techniques


Jinjiang Wang and Robert X. Gao

7.1 Background 181


7.2 Motivation 182
7.3 CPS and industry 4.0 183
7.4 Smart scheduling 186
7.5 Predictive maintenance 191
7.6 Conclusion and future research direction 201
References 202
Contents vii

8. Review of commercial and open technologies available


for Industrial Internet of Things
Günther Schuh, Matthias Jarke, Andreas Gützlaff, István Koren,
Tim Janke, and Henning Neumann

8.1 Introduction 209


8.2 Fundamentals and state of the art 212
8.3 IIoT framework 221
8.4 IIoT development 234
8.5 IIoT impact 235
8.6 Summary and reflection 237
References 239

9. The role of big data analytics in the context of modeling design


and operation of manufacturing systems
Foivos Psarommatis, Paul Arthur Dreyfus, and Dimitris Kiritsis

9.1 Introduction 243


9.2 Generic framework for data utilization in industrial
environments 245
9.3 Sources of data in an industrial environment 248
9.4 Data modeling, semantics, and knowledge extraction 251
9.5 Process modeling, key feature for the optimization of design
and operation of manufacturing systems 256
9.6 Data contribution to design phase 258
9.7 Data contribution to the operation of manufacturing systems 262
9.8 Modeling, design and operation of manufacturing systems
for achieving zero defect manufacturing 266
9.9 Conclusions 269
References 270

10. Digital twins in industry 4.0


Panagiotis Stavropoulos and Dimitris Mourtzis

10.1 Introduction 277


10.2 Value of digital twins 280
10.3 Definition of DTs and levels 284
10.4 Enabling technologies 288
10.5 DT architecture 292
10.6 Applications in industry 4.0 296
10.7 Socio-economic impact 303
10.8 Future challenges 306
10.9 Conclusions 307
References 309
viii Contents

11. Review of machine learning technologies and artificial


intelligence in modern manufacturing systems
Aydin Nassehi, Ray Y. Zhong, Xingyu Li, and Bogdan I. Epureanu

11.1 Introduction 317


11.2 Definition of artificial intelligence 318
11.3 Definition of machine learning 318
11.4 Applications of AI in manufacturing 319
11.5 Discussion and outlook 338
11.6 Future developments and roadmap 341
References 345

12. Blockchain-enabled product lifecycle management


Zhi Li, Zonggui Tian, Lihui Wang, and Ray Y. Zhong

12.1 Introduction 349


12.2 PLM: Concepts, framework, and key phases 351
12.3 Challenges of PLM in I4.0 354
12.4 Blockchain for PLM: Opportunities 354
12.5 Blockchain-enabled PLM: Case studies 370
12.6 Conclusions 375
References 377

Index 381
Contributors

John Angelopoulos Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation,


Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras,
Rio Patras, Greece
Alexandre Dolgui IMT Atlantique, LS2N, CNRS, Nantes, France
Paul Arthur Dreyfus Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), SCI STI DK,
Lausanne, Switzerland
Bogdan I. Epureanu Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
Robert X. Gao Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case
Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
Andreas Gützlaff Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering
(WZL), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Dmitry Ivanov Berlin School of Economics and Law Supply Chain and Opera-
tions Management, Berlin, Germany
Tim Janke Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL),
RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Matthias Jarke Information Systems & Databases, RWTH Aachen University,
Aachen; Fraunhofer FIT, Birlinghoven Castle, Sankt Augustin, Germany
Dimitris Kiritsis Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), SCI STI DK,
Lausanne, Switzerland
István Koren Chair of Process and Data Science, RWTH Aachen University,
Aachen, Germany
Gisela Lanza wbk Institute of Production Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Tech-
nology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
Xingyu Li Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor, MI, United States
Zhi Li Guangdong Provincial Key Lab. of Computer Integrated Manufacturing
Systems, School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of
Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Dimitris Mourtzis Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics,
University of Patras, Patras, Greece
Aydin Nassehi Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol,
Bristol, United Kingdom
Henning Neumann Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering
(WZL), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

ix
x Contributors

Nikos Panopoulos Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation,


Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras,
Rio Patras, Greece
Nikolaos Papakostas Laboratory for Advanced Manufacturing Simulation and
Robotics, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University College
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Mirco Peron NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
Sina Peukert wbk Institute of Production Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Tech-
nology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
Foivos Psarommatis Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), SCI STI DK,
Lausanne, Switzerland
Aswin K. Ramasubramanian Laboratory for Advanced Manufacturing Simula-
tion and Robotics, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University
College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Günther Schuh Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering
(WZL), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Fabio Sgarbossa NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
Panagiotis Stavropoulos Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automa-
tion, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of
Patras, Patras, Greece
Gwen Louis Steier wbk Institute of Production Science, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
Zonggui Tian Guangdong Provincial Key Lab. of Computer Integrated Manu-
facturing Systems, School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong Uni-
versity of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Jinjiang Wang University of Petroleum, School of Mechanical and Transporta-
tion Engineering, Beijing, China
Lihui Wang Department of Production Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of
Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Ray Y. Zhong Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineer-
ing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Preface

The paradigm shift from mass production to on-demand, personal-


ized, customer-driven, and knowledge-based production reshapes man-
ufacturing. Smart manufacturing leads to an automated world that relies
more on information and communication technologies (ICTs) and sophis-
ticated information-technology-intensive processes, enhancing flexibil-
ity. Furthermore, as automation and digital supply chain management
become the norm across enterprise systems, advanced manufacturing
becomes increasingly linked at a global level. Manufacturing compa-
nies are under pressure to achieve the goals of high competitiveness and
profitability in a globalized and volatile environment. To address these
challenges, engineers have to develop and implement new design and op-
eration methodologies for production networks taking also into account
mass personalization and market uncertainty. In the era of digitalization,
the integration of cloud-based approaches can elevate enterprise perfor-
mance. Therefore, to meet these challenges, new technologies such as
­cyber-physical systems (CPS), artificial intelligence (AI), augmented real-
ity (AR), big data analytics, the Internet of things (IoT), and the industrial
Internet of things (IIoT) must be integrated.
The book consists of 12 chapters, written by leading researchers in the
field of manufacturing. Chapter 1 presents the peculiarities of the integra-
tion of key Industry 4.0 technologies toward the design, planning, and op-
eration of global production networks and the integration of the customer
to the design phase of the products, services, and systems. In Chapter 2
recent and future trends of how emerging technologies support the trans-
formations in reconfigurable supply chains and production systems are
presented. Chapter 3 is devoted to present the implications for the design
and management of global production networks (GPNs) induced by the
mass production paradigm (MPP). Chapter 4 aims to identify and high-
light the implications in the design and planning of manufacturing net-
works in the mass personalization environment and Chapter 5 presents
the state of the art on adaptive scheduling and developments in smart
scheduling within Industry 4.0 paradigm. Chapter 6 presents how mod-
ern digital manufacturing technologies may be utilized for reducing and
eventually taming the complexity in production systems and networks.
Chapter 7 provides an overview of innovative smart scheduling and pre-
dictive maintenance (PdM) techniques under smart manufacturing pro-
duction environments. Chapter 8 reviews the landscape of the ­industrial

xi
xii Preface

Internet of things (IIoT). Chapter 9 presents a generic framework for


industrial big data utilization in industrial environments and big data
application areas and Chapter 10 aims to map major architectures and ap-
plications of digital twins for Industry 4.0. Chapter 11 reviews and pres-
ents machine learning (ML) technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) in
manufacturing systems. Finally, Chapter 12 demonstrates the real-world
applicability of blockchain potential using industrial case studies.

Dimitris Mourtzis
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics,
University of Patras, Patras, Greece
Acknowledgments

I acknowledge the help of all the members involved in the prepara-


tion of this book. My sincere gratitude goes to the chapter’s authors for
their high expertise, the time invested in this collaborative process, and
for their chapter contributions. Without their support and dedication this
book could not have become a reality.
Members of the Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation
(LMS) of the University of Patras have also been involved in this ­project;
Assistant Professor Panos Stavropoulos, Dr. Nikos Panopoulos, and
Mr. Ioannis Angelopoulos, MSc, formed key persons in putting the
­chapters of this book together.

xiii
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C H A P T E R

1
Introduction to cloud technology
and Industry 4.0
Dimitris Mourtzis
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of
Patras, Patras, Greece

1.1 Introduction

In recent decades, globalization has led to profound changes in the


economy (Dicken, 2007; Lanza et al., 2019). Nowadays, companies of
any size operate worldwide in the form of global production networks
(GPNs). GPNs are one of the manufacturing industry’s most critical forms
of organization (Yeung & Coe, 2015) and already account for almost 80%
of global trade (UNCTAD, 2006). In order to address the challenges of in-
creasing complexity in all aspects of the product and production life cycle,
manufacturers and service providers are called upon to design, plan, and
operate GPNs. Several problems related to the life cycle of manufacturing
systems and networks are caused by these factors, mainly due to increas-
ing demand for product variety and shortened life cycles (Mourtzis, 2016).
The customized and personalized product (CPP) is a popular trend
that can best meet the needs of individual customers. The CPP paradigm
is imperative for many businesses to survive in the fragmented, diversi-
fied, and competitive marketplace. However, manufacturers need more
diverse resources and capabilities to provide CPP, which would cost
them too much, both on facility construction and on skilled recruits.
In addition, the utility rate of these assets and capabilities can fluctu-
ate significantly at different times, resulting in a great deal of waste.
Toward that end, cloud manufacturing (CMfg), which can provide mass
manufacturing resources and capabilities as services via the Internet,
is a promising solution. CMfg achieves the pervasive presence around
users of different CMfg services, which can acquire and release services
on real demand and pay as “they” go. Moreover, in today’s product
market, customized/personalized products are gaining more share.

Design and Operation of Production Networks for Mass Personalization in


the Era of Cloud Technology
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-823657-4.00011-7 Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
2 1. Introduction to cloud technology and Industry 4.0

Collective efforts by ­consumers, manufacturers, and third parties are


needed for such products. However, this requirement has not been
addressed well because of both market and technology factors (Yang
et al., 2017). Although mass customization has become a trend in re-
cent times and uses modularization to simultaneously increase product
variety and maintain mass production (MP) efficiency, there are some
identified limitations. First, consumers do not participate strongly in
the design phase. Second, potential combinations are predetermined by
designers. Third, the concept of mass customization is not necessary to
satisfy personal requirements and preferences and is not capable of pro-
viding personalized services and goods. Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is a collec-
tive term used for value chain organization technologies and concepts.
Furthermore, cloud manufacturing and Industry 4.0 technologies allow
flexible production, especially using cyber-physical systems (CPS) and
highly customized assemblies (Panetto et al., 2019; Tao et al., 2018) so as
to deliver production services on-demand (Dolgui et al., 2020; Ivanov
et al., 2018). Moreover, new forms of personalization will be made pos-
sible by key technologies of Industry 4.0 such as the Internet of things
(IoT), Internet of services, cyber-physical systems (CPS), big data and
analytics, digital twins, and augmented reality (AR). Direct customer
design input will allow businesses to produce more and more custom-
ized products with shorter cycle times and lower costs than those asso-
ciated with standardization and mass production (Wang et al., 2017).
Customers are becoming more mindful of their needs and desires.
As a result, one in five consumers are willing to pay a 20% premium
for products or services personalized for them, but they want the same
responsiveness and ordering experience as they experience with mass
produced commodities. Furthermore, brands able to customize products
are now able to create more confidence with their consumers. Moreover,
most customers both in the United States and in the United Kingdom
are willing to allow trusted retailers to use some of their personal data
to present customized and tailored goods, services, reviews, and deals.
Manufacturers are driving and benefiting from the personalization trend
for many reasons. Advances in manufacturing and 3D printing allow
mass customization at reduced cost and enable manufacturers to rethink
their supply chains, all customized to customer demand. Digitalization of
production introduces long tail economics to physical goods. Businesses
can delay production until the last possible time to allow individual cus-
tomization. This eliminates inventory excesses and allows “just-in-time
(JIT)” manufacturing with a virtual assurance that the customer will buy
the product because it has been designed and ordered (Thomas, 2017).
Personalization fulfillment is gradually leading to intelligent machine
learning-driven configuration and on-demand production driven by
Industry 4.0, sometimes using ­manufacturing-as-a-service or 3D ­printing.
1.1 Introduction 3

Typically, a ­personalized-product-at-scale business model has three steps


(Gupta, 2018):
• Design management of a custom product through research and
development and synchronization with downstream activities.
• Online product customization with smart suggestions, compliance
checks, and pricing information.
• Manufacturing the commodity with limited human intervention.
According to a recent Epsilon research (Epsilon Marketing, 2018), 80% of
consumers are more likely to do business with a company if it offers a person-
alized experience. This demonstrates that not only do clients expect personal-
ization, but they also value it. However, it is not just about giving consumers a
more tailored approach, it is about responding to complex shifts in consumer
behaviors. Similarly, a global survey by TCS (TCS—Tata Consulting Services,
2019) benchmarked large businesses, mapping their adoption of the four
critical business habits of driving mass personalization, creating exponential
value, leveraging ecosystems, and embracing risk (Vinoski, 2019):
• Manufacturers are leading the pack in mass personalization.
Additionally, for almost every interaction, 83% of respondents can
customize products and services.
• Higher volumes have been reported for manufacturers investing in
mass personalization capabilities (63%), value of customer interaction
(60%), and higher profitability (64%).
• The improved innovation capabilities and the access to new markets
are used by manufacturers in order to leverage ecosystems (55%) and
create exponential value (30%).
Therefore, the rise of digital technologies has completely updated in-
dustries, companies, and customers through opening abundant possibili-
ties to redefine every aspect of business. To that end, digital technologies
such as the cloud, the Internet of things (IoT), analytics, automation, ro-
botics, and artificial intelligence (AI) are key enablers of this transforma-
tion. However, using them simply to mechanize existing functions is not
enough. To summarize, production firms use technology as the basis for
four key business behaviors that will help them move to the next level:
• driving mass personalization
• creating exponential value
• leveraging ecosystems
• embracing risk
Relying on practical experience, I4.0 is viewed as a marketing term rather
than an industrial revolution because it builds on existing technologies, al-
though combined in new ways. Likewise, reducing customization costs,
increasing flexibility, and quality control, while keeping time-to-­market
4 1. Introduction to cloud technology and Industry 4.0

competitive with mass production are convincing incentives for small-


and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to consider I4.0 practices (Torn &
Vaneker, 2019). Additionally, CMfg and I4.0 are notably based on a service
paradigm. More specifically, flexible processes and flexible machines en-
able the creation of a primarily new scheduling entity, which is considered
as a service. The services are dynamically formed based on the available
machines and operations. As a result, the services can be constructed by
almost any combination of machines and operations (Liu et al., 2019).
It has to be stressed out that the biggest advantage is that personaliza-
tion does not come at the high expected cost because digital commerce
and content, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing are bringing it down.
Customers, for example, may start designing and 3D printing their own
products for manufacturing. This will have various changes on business
strategies and operating models as follows (Thomas, 2017):
• The use of customer data for both targeted marketing and the creation
of tailored goods and services would involve a new process of data
governance, and a system that gives customers control over how their
data is used.
• Businesses will have to reconsider their supply chain. Suppliers’
networks are often programmed and configured to manufacture
prearranged quantities of goods rather than catering to any
unexpected demand. The supply chain is forced to switch from
the push to the pull model, a challenging premise, but feasible and
necessary.
• Personal smart devices will continue to fuel the Internet of things
(IoT) and the big data platforms and cannot be overlooked for
personalization.
• Telecommunications will fundamentally change, especially with
5G networks. The personal assistant of the smart device will be
incorporated with the user’s calendar and location, informing the
recipient that the user is at a meeting or traveling, and fixing the
user’s appointment to call back—all in real time.
Additionally, Kumar (2008) argued that there is a strategic transition
from mass customization to mass personalization, but the degree of trans-
formation varies across industries. In this perspective, the factors that pro-
mote mass personalization are as follows:
• market pressure
• the convergence of IT capabilities that enable customer integration
into product design
• evolution of CRM as a strategy
• improvements in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software
consistent with personalized needs
1.2 Structure of the book 5

• data warehousing
• data mining
In addition, the unprecedented challenge to the manufacturing indus-
try, the COVID-19 outbreak, has clearly shown and highlighted the impor-
tance of scheduling in Industry 4.0 and cloud production. Companies with
established visibility and digital control production technologies have
been able to react more flexibly and responsively to disruptions (Ivanov,
2020; Ivanov & Dolgui, 2020). Next, economic impact of COVID-19
has taken the form of demand and supply shocks, disrupting all levels
of global supply chains, and leading to sharp decreases in global trade
across a wide range of industries and products (Kumar, Luthra, Mangla, &
Kazançoğlu, 2020; ILO—International Labour Organization, 2020).
To summarize, it is vital to provide a centralized, real-time analytical
data platform in this highly personalized environment that has to be in-
terconnected with a range of IoT touchpoints and exploit everything-as-
a-­service business (XaaS) models. Consequently, this forces a move from
mass production to mass personalization, leveraging the power of data to
recognize and satisfy individual consumers on their own terms.
Finally, the existing knowledge on the design and development of pro-
duction networks to achieve mass personalization under the framework of
Industry 4.0 and cloud technology is scattered over different methodolo-
gies, but most of them share a certain set of attributes such as (a) cloud tech-
nology to enable the shift to mass personalization production paradigm,
(b) interconnected smart factories via the industrial Internet of things (IIoT)
in order to achieve real-time communication of products, machines, and
smart operators, (c) digital technologies to solve, prevent, and address the
complex problems induced by mass personalization, (d) smart scheduling
and predictive maintenance tools and techniques, (e) communication pro-
tocols and technologies to achieve IIoT, (f) data acquisition and analysis, (g)
simulation tools and digital twins in Industry 4.0, (h) artificial intelligence in
almost every aspect of smart factory and production, and finally, (i) block-
chain technology to ensure the safety of the huge amount of data transfer.

1.2 Structure of the book

The book offers an introduction, advanced techniques, fundamental


principles, and recent developments of the design and operation of pro-
duction networks for mass personalization in the era of cloud technology,
cloud manufacturing, and Industry 4.0 systems. The aim of this book is to
present recent developments in the field and systematize these develop-
ments into new taxonomies and methodological principles to shape this
new field of research. The chapters have been supervised and written by
6 1. Introduction to cloud technology and Industry 4.0

leading international experts who present new manufacturing, produc-


tion engineering, and computer science methods as well.

1.2.1 Distinctive features of this book


This book contains 12 chapters written by the leading researchers in
the field of manufacturing. In the introductory chapter “Introduction to
Cloud Technology and Industry 4.0,” the book editor Professor Mourtzis
Dimitris elaborates on the peculiarities of the integration of key Industry
4.0 technologies toward the design, planning, and operation of global pro-
duction networks and the integration of the customer to the design phase
of the products, services, and systems. Finally, the first chapter summa-
rizes the structure and the contribution of the book.

1.2.2 Expected trends in production networks for mass


personalization in the cloud technology era
In Chapter 2, the authors Alexandre Dolgui, Dmitry Ivanov, Mirco
Peron, and Fabio Sgarbossa present and discuss recent and future trends of
how emerging technologies can support the transformations in reconfig-
urable supply chains and production systems, enabling the development
and implementation of innovative concepts of production networks at the
supply chain level, i.e., reconfigurable supply chains (RSC) or X-networks
and intertwined supply networks (ISN), and production systems levels,
i.e., reconfigurable manufacturing systems or factory production net-
works. More specifically, in Section 2.2 the Industry 4.0 technologies en-
abling RSC or X-networks and ISN are presented. Next, the authors in
Section 2.3 present and discuss the identified trends in supply chains and
more specifically in RSC/X-network and in ISN. Moving on, in Section 2.4
the factory production networks are presented and future trends are dis-
cussed. Finally, the chapter concludes in Section 2.5.

1.2.3 Latest advances in cloud manufacturing and global


production networks enabling the shift to the mass
personalization paradigm
In Chapter 3, the authors “Gisela Lanza, Sina Peukert, and Gwen Luis
Steier” present the implications for the design and management of global
production networks (GPNs) induced by the mass production paradigm
(MPP) and to identify the enabling concepts. First, they define the driv-
ers and characteristics of MPP (Section 3.2). Next, the properties of GPNs
and cloud manufacturing (CM) are discussed (Section 3.3). Moving on, the
framework presented by (Lanza et al., 2019) is presented and analyzed in
order to construct the GPNs. Additionally, CM shows touchpoints to the
1.2 Structure of the book 7

presented framework and illustrates how enablers can be applied to de-


velop new manufacturing concepts for the design and operation of GPNs.
Next, in Section 3.4 the authors analyze the implications of MPP on the
planning decisions in GPNs. Finally, in order to concretize the enabling
concepts, practical examples for both the network management and the
core task network footprint are presented.

1.2.4 The mass personalization of global production networks


Dimitris Mourtzis in Chapter 4 aims to identify and highlight the impli-
cations in the design and planning of manufacturing networks in the MP en-
vironment. Section 4.2 presents the evolution of manufacturing paradigms
and globalization challenges. Moving on, Section 4.3 describes the life cy-
cle of manufacturing networks and more specifically the supply chain, the
configuration of the production networks, the management and planning of
production networks, the simulation and ICT systems for the life cycle of pro-
duction networks, and a brief reference to cloud computing (CC) in Industry
4.0. Next, in Section 4.4 an industrial application and frameworks from MC
to MP are presented and discussed. Finally, a discussion and outlook section
is presented in Section 4.5 and the chapter concludes in Section 4.6.

1.2.5 Production management guided by industrial Internet of


things and adaptive scheduling in smart factories
In Chapter 5, the authors Dimitris Mourtzis, Nikos Panopoulos, and
John Angelopoulos address the state of the art of information and com-
munication technologies (ICTs) that are the drivers of data-driven innova-
tions. Section 5.2 presents the state of the art on adaptive scheduling and
developments in smart scheduling within the Industry 4.0 paradigm. Next,
Section 5.3 describes applied scheduling innovations and decision-making
frameworks in smart factories. Moving on, the production networks toward
mass personalization and industrial case studies are discussed in Section 5.4.
The digital skills for the operator of the digital era are highlighted and dis-
cussed in Section 5.5. Finally, the chapter concludes in Section 5.6.

1.2.6 Digital technologies as a solution to complexity caused by


mass personalization
In Chapter 6, Nikolaos Papakostas and Aswin K. Ramasubramanian
delve into how industries over the last decades have gradually shifted from
a mass production model to a mass customization paradigm. In the 21st
­century consumers are looking for more product variants and configurations
in a massive way. The pressure for more product customization is often too
high and is frequently the case that manufacturing companies and networks
8 1. Introduction to cloud technology and Industry 4.0

cannot cope with the additional complexity of having to handle many more
products and associated options. Nevertheless, a lot of progress has been
made over the last years toward handling a series of product development,
manufacturing, support, and end-of-life processes in a more integrated and
efficient manner. This chapter presents how modern digital manufacturing
technologies, including process and system simulation, computer-aided
design (CAD), computer-aided engineering (CAE), computer-aided pro-
cess planning (CAPP), and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems
together with advanced product information (PIM) and product lifecycle
management (PLM) platforms may be utilized for reducing and eventually
taming the complexity in production systems and networks (Section 6.2).
Moreover, a number of enabling and emerging information technologies, in-
cluding cloud computing, Internet of things, big data with machine learning
together with novel manufacturing processes and equipment, such as addi-
tive manufacturing, collaborative, and mobile robotics, are outlined and their
role toward further facilitating mass customization in a sustainable way is
analyzed (Section 6.3). The chapter concludes in Section 6.4 with how future
novel technologies are anticipated to better support human decision-making
as part of the typical product development process.

1.2.7 Innovative smart scheduling, and predictive maintenance


tools and techniques
In Chapter 7, Robert X. Gao and Jinjiang Wang present an overview
of innovative smart scheduling and predictive maintenance (PdM) tech-
niques under smart manufacturing production environments. First, the
background and research motivation are presented. Next, the technologies
denominated Industry 4.0 with a special focus on cyber-physical systems
(CPS) are summarized. Moving on, the traditional scheduling methods
and techniques, as well as the advances in the scheduling literature, are
examined. Additionally, an analysis of the necessity for smart scheduling
within the Industry 4.0 is presented. In this chapter, the focus is given on
the topic of dynamic scheduling. Furthermore, maintenance techniques
with emphasis on their integration and cooperation with maintenance
decision-making are described in a detailed manner, followed by predic-
tive and prescriptive maintenance. Finally, the chapter summarizes the
research status of these technologies and the identified obstacles are dis-
cussed and applied to industrial applications.

1.2.8 Review of commercial and open technologies available for


industrial Internet of things
In Chapter 8, Günther Schuh, Matthias Jarke, Andreas Gützlaff, István
Koren, Tim Janke, and Henning Neumann offer a review and guideline for
1.2 Structure of the book 9

the landscape of the industrial Internet of things (IIoT). To accomplish this,


the commercial and open technologies, which are currently available, are
systematically described (Sections 8.1 and 8.2). Furthermore, all technolo-
gies are set into context with a framework that allows defining the benefit
and the area of application for a given IIoT technology (Section 8.3). To ad-
dress these challenges of the differences in scope and function of IIoT com-
ponents, this chapter considers the guidelines for setting IIoT technologies
into context with a framework that allows defining the benefit and the
area of application (Sections 8.4 and 8.5). To also take the advantages of
the implementation of an IIoT System into account, this chapter considers
the impact distinctive features and technologies forming an IIoT system
have. Finally, the chapter concludes by showing the impact of different
IIoT use cases (Section 8.6).

1.2.9 The role of big data analytics in the context of modeling


design and operation of manufacturing systems
In Chapter 9, Foivos Psarommatis, Paul Arthur Dreyfus, and Dimitris
Kiritsis present a generic framework for industrial big data utilization
in industrial environments and big data application areas in Section 9.1.
Next, in Section 9.2 they discuss about the sources of data in industrial
environments. Moving on, in Section 9.3 data modeling, semantics, and
knowledge extraction are presented and discussed. Special focus is given
to the roles of ontologies and the attempts to categorize the application of
ontologies in information science through the initiative called industrial
ontologies foundry (IOF). Moreover, the goals of IOF, as well as a semantic
framework for modeling and simulation of manufacturing systems, are
presented in this section. Moving on, in Section 9.4 the authors present
the process modeling, which they characterize as the key feature for the
optimization of design and operation of manufacturing systems. Next, in
Section 9.5 the contribution and the areas of big data utilization in the de-
sign phase are presented. Similarly, in Section 9.6 the data contribution to
the operation of manufacturing systems is discussed. Moving on, the au-
thors summarize the modeling, design, and operation of manufacturing
systems for achieving zero defect manufacturing (ZDM).

1.2.10 Digital twins in Industry 4.0


In Chapter 10, Panos Stavropoulos and Dimitris Mourtzis aim to map
major architectures and applications of digital twins for Industry 4.0, along
the lines of manufacturing systems, manufacturing processes and robots,
automation, and virtual reality in manufacturing. More specifically, the
chapter starts with a description of values that any digital twin is capa-
ble of generating, followed by a presentation of the definition of ­digital
10 1. Introduction to cloud technology and Industry 4.0

twins and its levels. Additionally, enabling technologies of digital twin


are identified by a comprehensive overview of the enabling technologies.
Afterwards, the digital twin architecture is analyzed, and the applications
in Industry 4.0 are represented to connect and clarify the digital twin ar-
chitecture. Finally, the chapter summarizes the socioeconomic impacts of
the technology, as well as, describes the digital twin future challenges.

1.2.11 Review of machine learning technologies and artificial


intelligence in modern manufacturing systems
In Chapter 11, the authors Aydin Nassehi, Ray Ζhong, Xingyu Li, and
Bogdan Epureanu review and present various definitions of artificial in-
telligence (AI), a brief history of AI, and its differences with traditional sta-
tistics. Next, machine learning (ML) is then introduced to identify its place
in data science and differences to topics such as big data analytics. A cate-
gorization of related machine learning technologies by introducing meta-
heuristic optimization, classification, regression, and exploratory data
analysis is then followed by an in-depth overview of advanced networks
characterized by a deep structure, such as deep neural network, recur-
rent neural network, convolutional neural network, deep reinforcement
learning, autoencoder, topic modeling, transformer, and transfer learning
to complete the introduction to the topic in Sections 11.1–11.3. Moving on,
the manufacturing problems that use AI and ML are then characterized in
Section 11.4. Special consideration is given to the codevelopment of prod-
ucts and production systems as well as the gained system viability and
resilience in fighting against the worldwide pandemic. Next, the unifying
attributes of the plethora of techniques as AI in manufacturing are iden-
tified and the taxonomy for AI in manufacturing is provided. A critical
analysis of the affordances of AI in manufacturing follows to show the
expected advantages that practitioners can achieve through the use of AI
for each of the phases in the life cycle by presenting relevant results from
the literature (Section 11.5). Finally, the chapter maps out future develop-
ments of AI and the emerging trends and identifies a vision based on com-
bining machine and human intelligence in a productive and empowering
manner in Section 11.6.

1.2.12 Blockchain-enabled product lifecycle management


In Chapter 12, Zhi Li, Zonggui Tian, Lihui Wang, and Ray Zhong
demonstrate the real-world applicability of blockchain potential using
industrial case studies. Additionally, an industrial blockchain-oriented
product lifecycle management (PLM) framework is introduced. Next,
Section 12.2 reviews the concept and the framework of PLM and its key
References 11

phases. Section 12.3 describes the challenges of PLM in the Industry 4.0
era. Moving on, Section 12.4 introduces the proposed solution by block-
chain for PLM in detail. Next, the authors present the PLM architecture
based on the industrial blockchain. The following Sections 12.4.2–12.4.6
introduce the operating mechanisms of five key services (assessment, co-
creation, quick inquiry of tracking and tracing, maintenance, and recy-
cling). In Section 12.5 the authors present a case study in order to validate
the feasibility of the proposed solution. Finally, the authors conclude and
present future research in Section 12.6.

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C H A P T E R

2
Expected trends in production
networks for mass personalization
in the cloud technology era
Alexandre Dolguia, Dmitry Ivanovb, Mirco Peronc,
and Fabio Sgarbossac
a
IMT Atlantique, LS2N, CNRS, Nantes, France, bBerlin School of
Economics and Law Supply Chain and Operations Management, Berlin,
Germany, cNTNU, Trondheim, Norway

2.1 Introduction

Currently, supply chains, together with the production systems of their


main actors, experience dramatic changes imposed by altering market
conditions, profound shifts in the existing technologies, and extreme and
disrupting changes in the global environment, such as climate changes,
more frequent natural disasters, and recently also a pandemic crisis. In
this daily changing environment, mass personalization is one of the im-
portant trends, which can be defined as the ability to offer individualized
products according to the personalized preferences of customers. Since
the customers are ready to pay over standard prices for individual prod-
ucts, companies consider this phenomenon as a great potential to main-
tain a competitive advantage in the market, to increase sales margins, and
to improve trust relationships with their customers.
In order to achieve these advantages, mass personalization requires
rethinking of the processes along the whole supply chains and in their
production systems, bringing the discussion toward solutions with higher
adaptability, leanness, agility, and modularity, but also more sustainable
and resilient, and lately viable. As companies strive to rationalize engi-
neering design, manufacturing, and support processes and to produce a
large variety of personalized products at competitive costs, the integration

Design and Operation of Production Networks for Mass Personalization in


the Era of Cloud Technology
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-823657-4.00003-8 Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
14 2. Expected trends in production networks

of emerging cloud technology is becoming the key of success to enable


competitive supply chains and production systems (Ivanov et al., 2020).
Reconfigurability can be considered as the main feature that emerging
cloud technology has to guarantee in modern supply chains to support the
various characteristics listed before. The concept of reconfigurability was
developed first in robotics and it is related to rearrangements of modules
in space. Later in the 2000s, many authors from the production research
field adapted this concept in flexible manufacturing systems adding the
features of self-adjustment and changeability of modules (Bi et al., 2010).
Koren et al. (2003) highlighted that companies must have manufacturing
systems able to react to changes rapidly and cost-effectively in order to
remain competitive. They stated that “Reconfigurable Manufacturing System
(RMS) is designed at the outset for rapid change in structure, as well as in hard-
ware and software components, in order to quickly adjust production capacity and
functionality within a part family in response to sudden changes in market or in
regulatory requirements.” Mehrabi et al. (2002) defined that a “reconfigurable
manufacturing system is designed for rapid adjustment of production capacity
and functionality in response to new circumstances, by rearrangement or change
of its components.” More recently, Dolgui and Proth (2010) extended the
concept as follows: “RMSs are designed to permit quick changes in the system
configurations, their machines and controls in order to adjust to market changes.”
Moreover, Battaïa et al. (2020) showed that RMS can be considered as a
new way to manage manufacturing system sustainability. Recently, these
concepts have been extended to the supply chain level showing how
supply chains (SCs) have faced a number of remarkable transformations
(Ivanov et al., 2010; W. J. Zhang et al., 2019). Initially, in the 1990s, SCs were
mainly lean, responsive, and globalized in structural designs, while then
in the 2000s they learned about how to strengthen their resilience during
disruptions triggered by severe natural or man-made disasters. Many SCs
set strategies and operations in order to recover and manage the ripple
effects. Later SCs included also environmental and societal interests in
their vision, becoming more sustainable. Only lately, during the recent
5–10 years, the development and implementation of digital technologies
have been taken seriously in SC strategies in order to face in an efficient
way the mass personalization with the advantages that these technolo-
gies can bring, enabling new network configurations of SCs. However,
the leagility, resilience, sustainability, and digitalization of SCs have expe-
rienced an unprecedented series of shocks caused by the COVID-19 virus
outbreak and global pandemic in 2020. For some SCs, demand has dras-
tically increased and supply was not able to cope with that situation (e.g.,
face masks, hand sanitizer, disinfecting spray). For other SCs, demand and
supply have drastically dropped resulting in production stops (e.g., auto-
motive industry), the danger of bankruptcies, and the necessity of gov-
ernmental supports. The example of the COVID-19 pandemic shows that
2.1 Introduction 15

SCs need to transform once again including viability features. According


to Ivanov (2020) “Viable supply chain (VSC) is a dynamically adaptable and
structurally changeable value-adding network able to (i) react agilely to positive
changes, (ii) be resilient to absorb negative events and recover after the disrup-
tions, and (iii) survive at the times of long-term, global disruptions by adjusting
capacities utilizations and their allocations to demands in response to internal
and external changes in line with the sustainable developments to secure the pro-
vision of society and markets with goods and services in long-term perspective.”
This chapter, through the research activities carried out by the authors
in the IFAC Technical Committee 5.2 (Dolgui & Ivanov, 2020a, 2020b),
will present and discuss recent and future trends of how emerging tech-
nologies can support the aforementioned transformations in reconfigu-
rable supply chains and production systems enabling the development
and implementation of innovative concepts of production networks at the
supply chain level, i.e., reconfigurable supply chains or X-networks and
intertwined supply networks (ISN), and production systems level, i.e., re-
configurable manufacturing systems or factory production networks.
Reconfigurable SC (RSC) or X-network is a network designed in a
cost-efficient, responsive, sustainable, and resilient manner that is in-
creasingly data-driven and dynamically adaptable and capable for rapid
structural changes in physical and cyberspaces, by rearrangement and re-
allocation or change of its components in order to quickly adjust supply
and production capacities and functionality in response to sudden changes
(Dolgui, Ivanov, Potryasaev, et al., 2020). Recently Ivanov and Dolgui
(2020a, 2020b) introduced for the first time the term “intertwined sup-
ply network” (ISN) which encompasses entire interconnected SCs which,
in their entirety, guarantee the supply of goods and services to society
and markets. Unlike linearly oriented SCs or supply networks with static
structures, factories in ISNs can have multiple behaviors in buyer-supplier
relationships (i.e., behavioral dynamics) by being interconnected buyers
and suppliers in SCs or even concurrently competing.
Factory production network is seen as an evolution of reconfigurable
manufacturing system (RMS) which is designed at the outset for rapid
change in structure, as well as in hardware and software components, and
flexible intralogistics in order to quickly adjust production capacity and
functionality within a part family in response to sudden changes in mar-
ket or in regulatory requirements.
Through cloud technology, Industry 4.0 connectivity, digital twins, fast
information exchange and analytics, smart automation, additive manu-
facturing, new dimension of flexibility can be reached, and new configu-
rations of supply chain and production systems can be developed (Dolgui
et al., 2019). We discuss and systemize expected trends supported by some
examples of interconnection of the actors in the SCs through data-­sharing
and data-visibility, data-analytics through artificial intelligence (AI),
Another random document with
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aged naturalist, who had withdrawn from civilization and the life of
white people to settle in one of the remotest recesses of the
Amazonian jungle. Whether he was related to him, Bomba did not
know and had never wondered. He would not have known the
meaning of relative. He only knew that he loved Casson and that
Casson loved him, although the latter seldom demonstrated any
affection in words, spending days at a time in moody abstraction.
The old man’s state had grown worse after a certain memorable day
when he had fired a gun at an anaconda which was threatening to
attack Bomba and the weapon had burst in his hands. The reptile
was wounded by the flying missiles and retreated, but Casson had
received a serious injury to his head. Bomba nursed him back to
some degree of physical health, but Casson from that time on was
half-demented, and the care of providing for the two had fallen on
the lad’s shoulders.
For such youthful shoulders it was a heavy burden, but it helped to
develop the lad into a wonder of strength and daring. Dangers of all
kinds surrounded him, wild beasts and reptiles with which the jungle
swarmed, and only quick wit and dauntless courage could preserve
his life. But necessity is a hard taskmaster, and under its spur
Bomba learned all the craft of the jungle. Keen of eye, swift of foot,
supple of muscle, and strong of heart, he matched himself against
his foes and so far had come out the victor. He was now about
fourteen years old, but few grown men had his strength and
resources.
Of the outside world he knew nothing. All his life was circumscribed
by the jungle. Casson had started to give him a smattering of
learning, but the explosion of the rifle had brought this to an abrupt
stop.
So Bomba roamed the jungle like a young faun at the beginning of
the world. His face was as bronzed as that of an Indian from
constant exposure to sun and storm. But there was undeniable proof
in his features, in his aquiline nose, his firm jaw, his brown hair and
eyes, that he was of white blood. He wore the native tunic, or
mendiyeh, and a puma skin was slung across his breast—that of
Geluk the puma that he had come across and killed when it was
trying to slay the friendly parrots, Kiki and Woowoo. Beneath his
bare arms and legs powerful muscles glided and rippled. Homemade
sandals encased his feet.
His weapons consisted of a bow and arrows, and he wore at his belt
a machete, or two-edged knife, fully a foot in length, a fearful blade
when it came to hand-to-hand fighting. In addition he had a five-
chambered revolver, the only firearm of which he was possessed,
and which had been given to him by two white rubber hunters after
he had rendered them a signal service.
Despite its perils, he loved the life of the jungle, and but for one thing
would have been reasonably happy. That thing was the
consciousness of his white blood. It tugged at his heart, and while it
gave him pride, it also tormented him. The call of the blood was
strong within him. He knew that, somehow, he was out of place.
Something was always calling him to go elsewhere, beckoning him
on to new horizons, telling him that he belonged to the white people.
He had a great yearning to know of his parentage. He had not the
slightest memory of his father or mother. Again and again he had
questioned Casson on this point, but the old man’s memory always
failed him at the very moment of revelation. In these efforts to recall
the past Casson had frequently muttered the words “Bartow” and
“Laura,” and Bomba had inferred that the names were those of his
father and mother. But the further knowledge he craved was denied
him.
How Bomba saved the camp of Gillis and Dorn, rubber hunters, from
a night attack by jaguars—how he trapped the deadly cooanaradi,
the most dreaded serpent of the South American wilds, when it
pursued him; his adventures with alligators and anacondas; the
besieging of his cabin by the headhunters; how his friends of the
forest came to his aid when he was fearfully beset; all this is narrated
in the first volumes of this series, entitled: “Bomba, the Jungle Boy;
or, The Old Naturalist’s Secret.”
Later on, Casson told Bomba that, though he himself could not
remember the facts about the lad’s parentage, the latter could get
that information from Jojasta, the medicine man of the Moving
Mountain. Bomba, therefore, after providing for Casson’s safety
while he should be gone, set out to see Jojasta. From the very outset
his path was beset with perils. Flood and earthquake, man and beast
sought his life. He was instrumental in delivering from the hands of
the savages a Mrs. Parkhurst and her son, Frank, and his
association with the two deepened his desire to know more of that
white civilization with which they were so familiar. He was hurled into
a subterranean cavern, escaped by a hair’s breadth and finally
reached Jojasta and the Moving Mountain.
There disappointment awaited him; but he was told that if he could
find Sobrinini, the witch who dwelt near the Giant Cataract, she
might give him the knowledge for which his soul longed.
Baffled for a time but not disheartened, Bomba resolved to search
out Sobrinini, though warned that great peril would attend the
attempt. How true that warning was he soon had reason to learn. He
fell into the power of Nascanora and was doomed by him to torture
and death. How his quick wit saved him; the terrible dangers to
which his indomitable spirit refused to yield, and which he finally
surmounted; how he found Sobrinini at last on her island of snakes
and brought her back with him, only to be tantalized with imperfect
revelations that made it still necessary to hunt out Japazy on Jaguar
Island is told in the preceding volume of this series, entitled, “Bomba,
the Jungle Boy, at the Giant Cataract; or, Chief Nascanora and His
Captives.”
And now to return to Bomba as he writhed and struggled to shake
himself free from that terrible grip on his throat!
He knew that he was fighting for his life.
What was it that had waited for him with the stealth of the panther to
leap upon him as he passed?
That one of the headhunters of the tribe of Nascanora had him in his
grip, Bomba knew at the first touch of those fingers of steel about his
throat.
Few could break the grip of the jungle Indian. Only those bred as
Bomba had been among the very wild beasts of that tangled region
could have hoped to free himself of that strangle hold.
With a tremendous heave of his powerful young shoulders Bomba
flung himself upon his back, the Indian half over him. With frantic
fingers the lad tore at that clutch about his throat.
Above, the thunder rumbled dourly. Dim flashes of sheet lightning
served to deepen by contrast the darkness that enveloped the
antagonists.
Strain as he would the lad could not force that hold to break. His
head was reeling, his brain confused and black spots danced before
his glazing eyes.
A flash of lightning brighter than the rest showed him the Indian, on
whose face was an expression of fiendish gloating.
That look was a spur to Bomba’s failing senses. He thought of
Casson, left defenseless with Bomba dead, and by a mighty effort
raised himself and drove his knee with all his strength into the flesh
beneath the ribs of his antagonist.
The blow was a surprise to the Indian, who counted his adversary as
already beaten. He grunted with dismay and pain. For the fraction of
an instant his grip relaxed, and in that instant Bomba had burst the
iron ring about his throat and was on his feet.
With a bellow of rage the savage also sprang upright, whipping out a
short knife from his belt.
But quick as he was, Bomba was quicker. He saw the gleam of the
Indian’s steel, drew his own machete and with one stroke sent his
enemy’s weapon whizzing off into the underbrush.
Like a panther, the Indian sprang upon the white boy, and before
Bomba could strike home with the machete had seized upon the
lad’s hand, striving to bend it backward and possess himself of the
machete.
But if the Indian was strong, so was Bomba. He was fighting for two
lives, his own and Casson’s, and, moreover, one of his fierce rages
was upon him; one of those wild bursts of fury that for the moment
gave him the strength of the jaguar, the wile of the fox, the quickness
of the snake.
Bomba was all these in one now, as he fought with the Indian,
straining backward and forward, resisting the pressure upon his knife
arm, striving with all the power in him to drive downward the shining
point of his machete, to sink it to the hilt in his enemy’s flesh.
For some minutes the fierce struggle went on. Then, with a sudden
twist, Bomba broke the Indian’s hold, leaped backward several feet,
and threw his machete.
It would have found its mark had not the savage fallen forward with
the sudden releasing of Bomba’s pressure. The knife grazed his
head. Thrown off his balance, the savage tried to recover himself.
But the slime of mud and leaves made treacherous footing and the
Indian plunged headlong.
Bomba was upon him with the swiftness of a jaguar!
CHAPTER III
THE BLAZING CABIN

At such close quarters Bomba could not use his bow, and he dared
not fire the revolver lest it attract the attention of lurking foes.
Rising into the air, he came down with both feet on his enemy’s
head. Then he stamped the head into the mud and ooze till the
savage lay still.
Whether the man breathed or not, Bomba did not stop to inquire. It
was enough that he had been put out of action. The noise of the
struggle, muffled as it had been, might already be drawing others to
the scene. Bomba must act swiftly, if he were to leave the spot alive.
One of his precious minutes he gave to the search for his machete.
With its aid he might still win through to Casson at the hut of Pipina.
By a stroke of good fortune he found the weapon where it had stuck
in the trunk of a tree.
With a smothered cry of elation, Bomba leaped upon it and
wrenched it from its hold. Again and again that knife had saved his
life, and it might do it again before the night was over.
Bomba’s body was bruised, he was dead tired, but his spirit was
unhurt. The thirst of battle was still in him. His blood was hot with it.
Twice to-night he had outwitted his enemies. Nascanora and his half-
brother Tocarora would again realize that he, Bomba, was as
slippery as the cooanaradi and as deadly.
He wasted no time. He set his feet in the direction of the cabin of
Pipina, the squaw, and went stealthily yet swiftly through the jungle.
The storm had felled great trees across his path. Some of these he
climbed over, while he took the smaller ones with a leap. Where the
ground was impassable he swung himself along from creeper to
creeper and branch to branch. No inhabitant of the jungle save the
monkeys were as skilled in this method of progress as Bomba, and
he made his way with amazing celerity. Never had that
accomplishment stood him in better stead.
His eyes and ears were alert for the slightest sight or sound that
might forebode danger. But this did not prevent his mind from being
in a tumult of varied emotions.
His most anxious thought was of Casson, Casson alone in the jungle
hut save for Pipina. Again the headhunters sought the life of Casson.
Again was Bomba hunted like the veriest wild beast.
Bitterness welled up in the heart of the lad against these savages,
whom he had never injured except in self-defense. Why was he
doomed to spend his life among these people so alien to him?
Bomba was white. All his yearnings were toward those of his own
race.
Who were his parents? He thought of the picture of the beautiful
woman that had hung in the little back room of Sobrinini’s hut on the
island of snakes. That face had stirred his heart as no other had ever
done. Was the beautiful woman his mother?
Who was he? What had happened to his parents and why had he
become at so early an age the sole companion of old Cody Casson?
He reviewed the strange behavior of the half-mad old woman,
Sobrinini, she who had once been the operatic idol of Europe, she
who had had kings at her feet. Why had she not finished the story of
the man named Bartow, his wife, Laura, and the child they called
Bonny?
Sobrinini had called him, Bomba, by the name of Bartow. She had
thought in her poor twisted mind that Bomba was Bartow. Was it
possible that Bomba was the boy who had once been called Bonny?
Bomba heaved a heavy sigh. Questions, questions always, and no
answers. Cody Casson had the key to the mystery. But poor Casson
must first find the key to that closed door in his mind beyond which
he could not go.
His mind in a whirl of unrest and longing, Bomba at last reached the
river which he must cross to reach the hut of Pipina.
The storm had now entirely died away. Only the heavy dripping of
moisture from the foliage betrayed its recent passage. The jungle
was still again with an unearthly stillness. The slight swish made by
Bomba as he swung himself from branch to branch was the only
sound that broke the silence.
Suddenly he paused and hung motionless, arms and legs entwined
about a bunch of creepers. His quick ear had caught a sound other
than the dripping of water on the sodden earth.
It was a slight sound, but Bomba knew at once what had caused it. It
was the faint dip of paddles in the water. The Indians were traveling
upstream. The headhunters of Nascanora were on their way to the
hut of Pipina to spread terror and death. Fortunate if death were all!
Far worse would be the tortures of any captives who might be
carried off alive to make a holiday for the savages who had been left
at home and who would revel in the screams of their victims.
Bomba had been carrying his machete between his teeth. Now he
dropped lightly to the ground, and, with the double-edged knife held
firmly in his grasp, ran swiftly toward the river.
Upon the banks of the stream he paused, listening. Still the dip, dip
of paddles coming upstream. So faint and stealthy was the sound
that it would have been inaudible to most ears other than those of
Bomba.
The lad wasted not an instant, but slipped from the steep bank until
he was waist deep in the sluggish water. The dense foliage of the
jungle trees grew down to the very edge of the stream, flinging its
rank growth out over the water.
Bomba had a canoe of his own concealed in the bushes some
distance up the stream. Had there been time, he would have made
for that, for he well knew the danger of making the river crossing by
fording or swimming. The deadly alligator, or cayman, infested all the
waters of the jungle, and any daring person that ventured to cross
knew that he might pay for the venture with his life.
But time was everything to Bomba now. The headhunters were more
to be feared than the cayman. The former were awake. The latter
might be asleep. At all costs, he must make the venture. He must
make haste, if he were to save the life of Casson and that of Pipina.
Bomba had let himself go so gently into the water as scarcely to
make a ripple, and he moved on noiselessly, wading where he could,
but soon reaching the deeper channel where he had to swim. Then
most of the time he swam under water lest his presence be declared
to prying eyes. He was almost as much at home in the water as on
land, and only at long intervals had to come to the surface for air.
But swiftly as he swam, the Indians could paddle more swiftly. And a
terrible fear gripped the lad’s heart as the sound of the paddles grew
ever fainter in the distance.
They would reach the hut first. They would find it undefended and
might attack at once. The worst might have happened before Bomba
could reach the only place he called home.
What he would do when he got there he had not figured out. He
would act as the occasion suggested. He would be but one against
many; but he had been in that position more than once and yet won
the victory.
He swam on swiftly until he was arrested by a sight that brought a
growl of fury to his lips.
Turning a bend in the river, a light assailed Bomba’s eyes, a fearful
light, a light such as the native of the jungle dreads above all others.
It was a dull glow, brightening now and then to a vivid red as the
flames swept skyward.
Bomba groaned and his teeth gritted against each other as he
plunged madly forward. For he knew all too well what had caused
the glare. The hut of Pipina was ablaze!
This was the work of Nascanora’s bucks, their revenge upon a
broken, demented old man who had never harmed any one in his
life!
Was Casson in that blazing hut? Was poor Pipina, faithful friend,
caught in that flaming inferno?
Scarcely daring to put these questions to himself, Bomba swam
madly upstream, his one thought now of revenge. He was consumed
by rage. His one desire was to feel the throat of Nascanora beneath
his fingers.
The light was brighter now. The whole jungle was bathed in the
fiendish glow.
Bomba turned toward the bank, but paused abruptly and trod water.
Between him and the shore, blocking his path, was a monster
alligator!
CHAPTER IV
TERRIBLE JAWS

At sight of the cayman, Bomba’s heart for a moment seemed to stop


beating.
A wild hope that perhaps the brute was asleep and would not
perceive his presence was quickly dispelled as the lad caught sight
of two fiery eyes fixed upon him. Then the huge mouth opened,
displaying the horrible array of teeth that, if they once closed on the
lad, would bite him in half as easily as a pair of shears would snip a
thread.
Despairingly, Bomba felt for his machete. He knew that it would avail
little except perhaps to wound. It would simply help him to die
fighting.
Then his heart leaped. His feet felt the river bed beneath them! He
had reached the shallower part of the stream! Now he would have a
footing, something that would give him a purchase and enable him to
use his bow and arrows.
Quick as lightning, he unslung the bow from his shoulder and drew
an arrow from its quiver. With one motion he fitted the arrow to the
string and let fly.
The light from the fire gave him what he needed for his aim, and the
arrow entered the eye of the monster and penetrated to the brain.
With a fearful bellow of rage and pain, the great brute leaped half out
of the water and fell back, only to churn the water into a seething
whirlpool. In its wild flounderings the end of its serrated tail caught
Bomba on one of his legs and threw him farther out into the stream.
Bomba did not mind the blow, so full of exultation was he at the
mortal wound he had inflicted on his enemy. But his elation changed
to fear when he saw the scaly back of another alligator breaking the
water. The brute had been attracted by the uproar created by its
stricken comrade and was coming swiftly.
Luckily, the bank was not far away, and, putting all his power into his
strokes, the boy swam as he had never swum before. He reached
the shore not a moment too soon, for the hideous jaws snapped
close behind him as he pulled himself up the bank.
The impulse was strong on Bomba to shoot another arrow at the
reptile and send it to join its companion. But arrows were precious
now, and all he had would perhaps be needed for human foes.
So he repressed the impulse and hurried along the bank until he had
come near the fringe of trees that bordered the clearing in which
stood the hut. He could not yet see the hut itself. But to reach it he
would have to make a dash across the clearing.
In the dark he could have eluded the eyes of his enemies, for no
snake could move more silently. But now the open space was
flooded with light. No figures were visible, but he knew that many
eyes were watching from the surrounding woods.
Still he must chance it. He had faced death too often to let it daunt
him now.
Summoning all his strength, he darted out into the open. His first few
bounds carried him fifty feet. Then he dropped to the ground as a
dozen arrows whizzed over his head.
It was upon this that Bomba had counted. He had timed his drop for
just the instant that would allow the startled savages to aim and let
fly.
He was up again on his feet, and before arrows could again be fitted
to strings had gained another fifty feet. Again he repeated his
stratagem, but this time not without scathe, for an arrow grazed his
ankle.
“The arrow may be poisoned,” he thought to himself, as he felt the
twinge of pain. “If it is, this is the end of Bomba.”
He reached the shelter of a tree and whirled behind it. On the side of
the clearing he had just left, one of the headhunters, keen after his
prey, had come from behind his shelter.
Like lightning, Bomba fitted an arrow to his string. There was a
twang, a hideous yell, and the savage threw up his hands and fell
headlong.
“There will be one less to fight Bomba,” muttered the lad. “They will
find that Bomba can shoot.”
If any had been inclined to follow the fallen Indian, they had
hesitated when they had seen him drop, and Bomba had a moment’s
breathing space. He flew from behind the tree and, availing himself
of what shelter he could find in his flight, came in sight of what had
been his home.
His heart sank within him. The cabin was a mass of flames. It was
impossible for life to be sustained in that furnace for a minute. If
Casson and Pipina had been trapped there, they were already far
beyond human help. They must be just what the hut itself would be
in a few minutes more, a heap of smoldering ashes.
For a moment Bomba forgot everything save the agony that clutched
at his heart. Then a sound brought him back to the danger that
menaced him personally.
Out from the shelter of the trees, crouched almost double, their
horrible faces illumined by the lurid light of the flames, came a
number of the headhunters.
They approached in a semicircle, cutting off Bomba’s retreat toward
the front and on either side. Back of him was the blazing hut, the
heat from which was already scorching his face and hands.
Bomba felt that he was trapped. His doom seemed sealed. He felt
for the handle of the machete at his belt. He grasped his bow. He
would not allow himself to be taken alive. Better instant death than
the tortures of Nascanora. And he vowed that he would take more
than one of his enemies with him.
He bent his bow, took quick aim and fired. A bronze-skinned buck
clapped a hand to his breast, gave a frightful howl, and fell writhing
in the dust.
But before Bomba could fit another arrow to his string there was a
concerted rush and a dozen hands reached out to seize him.
Bomba leaped back quickly and drew his machete. His eyes blazed,
his muscles tensed.
The Indians yelled and leaped forward.
Bang!
A sharp detonation clashed against their eardrums like a crash of
thunder. The force of the explosion shook the earth and flung the
natives to the ground.
Bomba found himself on his face, half-stunned, bewildered.
Mysterious missiles hurtled over his head, exploding in mid-air.
He raised himself cautiously to his knees and saw a sight that
brought hope to his heart.
The Indians were in full retreat, and as they fled they looked over
their shoulders at him fearfully, as though they blamed him for their
discomfiture.
Bomba well knew the mind of the Indian. The cause of the explosion
and the trembling of the earth were unknown to them. So they
reasoned that it must be a spell thrown over them by Bomba, friend
of the old witch doctor, Casson, to destroy them and save himself.
The Indians stopped in their mad flight at the edge of the jungle and
looked back. One of them, more daring than the rest, raised his bow
and took aim.
But before he could release the string one of the flying missiles
struck the would-be slayer, hurling him to the ground.
This was too much. The savages turned terror-stricken and fled from
that scene of mysterious death.
By this time Bomba had realized what must have caused the
explosion. Their little store of powder, so carefully guarded by
Casson and himself, had gone off when reached by the hot breath of
the fire. The flying missiles were the last of the cartridges belonging
to his revolver, that wonderful gift of Gillis and Dorn, the white rubber
hunters.
Bruised and shaken, Bomba staggered to his feet, hardly able to
believe his good fortune.
But as he turned back toward the cabin a great wave of desolation
flooded his heart.
There lay the cabin, now a heap of ashes. Were the ashes of
Casson and Pipina also there? Had those faithful ones come there to
their death?
With a sob Bomba threw himself on the ground and abandoned
himself to uncontrolled grief.
This, however, was of short duration. A wild rage welled up in his
heart, rage against the wicked Nascanora and his cruel tribe.
“They shall pay!” the lad cried, leaping to his feet. “For every drop of
Casson’s blood they shall pay! There will yet be wailing in the huts of
Nascanora. It is I, Bomba, who swear it!”
He paused, head upflung, listening.
What was that sound?
CHAPTER V
HOW THE INDIANS CAME

Bomba strained his ears and again heard the thing that had startled
him. It was a faint cry, rising and falling like a wail somewhere in the
bushes.
“Help!” came the voice, eerie as that of a banshee in the darkness.
“Help, Bomba! Help!”
Into Bomba’s heart sprang a great joy. This was the voice of Pipina,
the squaw—the voice that he had never expected to hear again. And
where Pipina was, must be Casson!
He was off like a deer in the direction from which the cry had come.
“Bomba hears you,” he called softly. “Bomba is coming.”
“Help!” came the feeble voice again. “Pipina is caught and cannot
get loose. Come quickly.”
Bomba wondered why he did not hear Casson’s voice, if Casson still
lived. But he said nothing and hurried on, hacking a passage through
the undergrowth.
He came nearer and nearer to the wailing woman until, pushing
aside a tangle of vines, he saw her. The moon, following close on the
heels of the tropical storm, was now riding high in the heavens and
shedding a soft luster over the jungle. By its light, Bomba caught
sight of Pipina as she stood holding out helpless hands to him.
She had been caught in a thorn thicket that had cruelly scratched her
hands and arms as she had struggled to free herself. Her wrinkled
face was drawn with pain.
By the deft use of his machete Bomba cleared away the clutching
branches and released her. The old squaw staggered dizzily, and the
lad put this arms about her shoulders to support her.
“Casson!” muttered Bomba hoarsely. “Tell me, Pipina! Tell me quick!
Where is Casson?”
The old woman drooped her head and stood there like a bowed
statue of grief, but said nothing until Bomba, mad with anxiety, shook
her gently by the shoulders.
“Do you hear, Pipina? Where is the good white man, Cody Casson,
my friend?”
Then the old woman raised her hands above her head and gave
vent to a wailing, desolate cry.
“Pipina no can tell. Casson her friend, too, good friend. He is gone.”
Bomba’s face darkened and again his heart contracted under the
cold hand of anguish.
“Tell me, Pipina,” he commanded. “Where has he gone? What has
become of him?”
“We sit down and I will tell you,” returned the squaw. “Pipina weak,
sick—”
For answer, Bomba cleared a space and, taking the old woman,
placed her as comfortably as he could with her back resting against
a giant tree.
He sat down opposite her, his arms folded, his glance full upon her
face.
“Now, Pipina, tell Bomba all,” he urged.
The old woman looked about her and shuddered. She wrapped her
skinny arms about her as though they were a garment and had
power to ward off the chill of the night.
“Headhunters—they gone?” she asked fearfully.
“Gone,” said Bomba tersely. “Where is Casson?”
“Bomba make them go away all by himself,” continued the squaw
admiringly. “Bomba great man some day—”
Bomba bent toward her.
“Do not talk foolishly, Pipina. Bomba not care about himself. Pipina
tell about Casson.”
The old woman gave her wailing cry and rocked herself back and
forth drearily.
“We have bad time, Casson, Pipina,” she said. “We all alone in hut,
wishing Bomba come. Storm come, but not Bomba. Thunder like
roar of pumas, many pumas.”
“Bomba caught in storm,” explained the lad. “No could come till
storm stopped.”
“Pipina listen for sound of Bomba’s feet,” went on the squaw. “Pipina
afraid. She think danger near. Wish Bomba would come quick.”
She said this, leaning forward, in a quick, hissing whisper. Now she
relaxed against the tree and stared gloomily into the heavy shadows
of the jungle.
“Casson not too good,” she muttered. “Pipina worry about Casson.
Worry hard.”
“What was wrong with Casson?” cried Bomba, exasperated beyond
measure by the slowness with which Pipina got on with her story.
“He very sick,” returned the squaw. “He not right.” She touched her
forehead significantly. “He walk back and forth, back and forth, and
talk to himself. He say: ‘Laura, Laura, dear sweet Laura. Must tell
Bomba. Bartow and Laura and little boy—’”
Bomba caught the arm of the old woman in an eager grip.
“Go on,” he commended. “What else did Casson say? Tell Bomba.”
But Pipina shook her head.
“He not say more,” she said. “Only those words he say again and
again. Then he stop, listen at door of hut, listen and then walk up
and down, up and down.”
“Go on,” cried Bomba.
“Then we hear things. We think you come. We happy. We sing. We
dance. But no, Bomba not come. It is the headhunters that come to
try to kill Casson and Pipina—”
Bomba gave a low growl like that of an animal and ground his teeth
together.
“They come.” The voice of the old woman rose again in eerie wailing.
“Casson, Pipina, we close door, push bolt, as Bomba tell us. We
heap things against door. Casson he take down old gun, but it not
work. He put fire stick through hole in hut. He think frighten bucks of
Nascanora.”
Bomba groaned as he saw the picture of old Cody Casson, brave to
the last, defying death, his only weapon a “fire stick” that would not
work.
“It happen quick,” went on Pipina with a helpless shake of her head.
“One, two, three—like that,” with a snap of her bony fingers. “The
headhunters come. They have heads, fresh heads, women, children
heads, on string at waists. They want more heads, Casson’s head,
Pipina’s head. They beat on door. They say: ‘Open. No hurt.
Nascanora friend of Casson.’”
Again came that growl as of an angry jaguar from the clenched teeth
of Bomba.
“Forked tongues! Black hearts!” he snarled. The woman nodded.
“Casson no open door,” she resumed. “He know Nascanora. He say
things. Make big chief mad. He beat more hard on door. He shout:
‘Casson witch doctor. He put a spell on sick people of our tribe.
Nascanora burn Casson and hut of Casson with him.’”
A smoldering fire was in Bomba’s eyes that boded no good to the
chief of the headhunters.
“Then Nascanora bring fire to the hut of Pipina,” went on the squaw.
“His bucks come with heaps of vines and leaves. They wet and not
burn at first. But after they burn, burn hot, and the hut of Pipina begin
to burn too.”
“But you got away, Pipina!” burst in Bomba eagerly. “You got away
from the headhunters and the fire. That was good. But how did you
do it? Tell Bomba. Do not make much words.”
The old woman shrugged her shoulders and there was a touch of
pride in her tone as she replied:
“Beneath the hut of Pipina there is a hole, and this hole it lead under
the ground out into the jungle.”
Bomba stared at her.
“A hole!” he exclaimed. “A passage! Why you not tell Bomba?”
The squaw smiled inscrutably.
“None know but Pipina.”
Bomba was listening with the most intense interest and wonder.
“Go on,” he cried, as Pipina paused.
“Pipina take up board in floor of hut,” went on the old woman. “Then
get down and crawl through hole. Casson come too. Long time to
creep through hole. Then come to end. Out into jungle where wet
and cool.”
“Then Casson got out safely?” cried Bomba.
The squaw nodded, and Bomba gratefully took her old wrinkled hand
in his.
“Pipina has saved the life of Casson,” the lad said gravely. “For this
Bomba thanks Pipina. He will never forget.”
The old woman threw her hands above her head, rocking herself
back and forth.
“Ayah, ayah!” she wailed. “Pipina save the life of Casson, but she
lose him after. For when Pipina look around Casson is gone!”

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