The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant disruptions to global economies, leading to the need for rapid transformation in the manufacturing sector. Industry 6.0, the next stage in the evolution of manufacturing, has emerged as a possible solution to these challenges. It builds on the previous industrial revolutions and incorporates advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), and the industrial internet of things (IIoT) to create a more efficient and sustainable manufacturing environment. This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of Industry 6.0 and its potential in the post-COVID era. It examines the fundamental principles, objectives, and evolution of industrial revolutions, and outlines the role of Industry 6.0 in promoting sustainable manufacturing practices. Additionally, it explores the potential of Industry 6.0 to provide mass personalization of services and products, enhance production capacity, and improve the fault-free environment as illustrated by a real-world scenario.
Top1. Introduction
The idea of Industry 4.0 was introduced in 2011 to describe the 4th in-dustrial revolution, which involves the integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data analytics into manufacturing and other industries (Groumpos, 2021). Since then, there have been discussions about potential future developments that could lead to In-dustry 5.0 and beyond, but these are still in the realm of speculation (Jamil et al., 2022; Jeyaraman et al., 2022). Industry 6.0 represents a significant leap forward from Industry 5.0, build-ing on the advancements made in previous industrial revolutions (Georgescu, 2019). One possible direction for Industry 6.0 could be the development of “cognitive factories” (Wurster et al., 2021) that are even more intelligent and autonomous than those of Industry 4.0 and 5.0. This could involve the use of advanced AI systems that are can learn and adapt to new situations, and that can make decisions and take actions in real-time based on data from a wide range of sources (Singh, 2023). Another possibility is the creation of fully integrated and interconnected supply chains that span multiple industries and regions (Hassan et al., 2023). This could in-volve the use of advanced blockchain and distributed ledger technologies to securely and transparently track and manage the flow of goods and services across borders, while also ensuring compliance with various regulations and standards.
Several papers discuss various aspects of Industry 6.0 and its potential impact on society and industries. Chourasia et al. (Chourasia et al., 2022) highlight how the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for advanced manufactur-ing industries to provide mass personalization of goods and services while enhancing their capability for fault-free, zero failure, and anti-fragile produc-tion. The chapter emphasizes the importance of Industry 6.0 to promote sustainability and living in harmony with nature, and its potential to de-liver wealth and prosperity across all planetary boundaries. Duggal et al.
Duggal et al. (2022) present a comprehensive overview of the technological developments and patent pathways throughout the previous industrial revolutions up to In-dustry 4.0. The chapter highlights the lack of human-machine workforce synergy in Industry 4.0 and the need for customized manufacturing. The chapter also proposes two expected phases of Industry 5.0 and highlights the subdomains that could be its focal areas. Finally, the chapter suggests a pathway to achieve the goals of Industry 6.0. Peng et al. (2020) discuss the integration of Industry 6.0, IoT, and 6G communication technology in the Industrial Internet of Everything (IIoE), enabling industrial optimiza-tion and automation. These papers show the potential of Industry 6.0 to transform industries and promote sustainable development while addressing the challenges and opportunities posed by technological advancements and global crises.
The scope of the chapter is to explore the emergence of Industry 6.0, its features, and how it advances beyond Industry 5.0. The chapter aims to analyze the opportunities and challenges presented by Industry 6.0 in the post-COVID era, and how it can lead to the creation of a fault-free environment, zero failure, anti-fragile, and improve production capacity (Chourasia et al., 2022). The chapter also aims to discuss the impact of Industry 6.0 on different sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and communica-tion. It will highlight how Industry 6.0 can improve the quality of life by providing mass personalization of goods and services and promoting living harmony with nature. The chapter will also discuss the role of advanced technologies such as the Industrial Internet of Everything (IIoE), the IoT, and 6G mobile communication technology in the development of Industry 6.0. The chapter will provide an in-depth analysis of the current research pools and patent pathways throughout the industrial revolutions and high-light significant products and services that have landmarked each revolution up to Industry 4.0. The chapter will conclude by discussing the challenges and future directions for Industry 6.0 and how it can lead to the creation of wealth, prosperity, and growth for nations across all planetary boundaries. The scope of the chapter will cover both theoretical and practical aspects of Industry 6.0 and present a comprehensive picture of this emerging technol-ogy.