Application of Digital Thread Impacts on Sustainable Manufacturing and Smart Production Systems

Abstract The big technological transformation included smart objects, simulation software, and digital frameworks to enhance intelligence, automation capabilities, the production process, and intelligent decision-making. The big technology including digital twin, digital thread, and internet of things are providing unprecedented opportunities to enhance efficiency and reduce the cost of the existing system of manufacturing industries. This article aims to study the great impacts of digital thread applications on sustainable manufacturing and smart production systems. A statistical descriptive, regression, and correlation analysis approach was adopted using a questionnaire based on the study model and previous related literature. Around 125 respondents were incorporated into the data collection process. The findings suggest that adoption and application of integrated and enabled digital thread strategies have the highest and most positive impacts on the performance of sustainable manufacturing and smart production systems in productivity, energy efficiency, agility and sustainability. The benefits of implementing big technology like digital thread have great impacts on manufacturing industries to enhanced smart design, a smart production process, utilizing resources, and improving the performance of the entire production and sustainable manufacturing processes. Also, the digital threads have great positive impacts on smart production, the reduction of climate change, and net-zero CO2 emissions (CC). This study confirms that, integrated and big technological practices, including Industry 4.0 and digital threads, mediated roles between sustainable production and sustainable performances. Based on these investigations, the digital thread model was developed to improve the performance and sustainability of manufacturing industries. The results of these investigations could deliver valuable insights to scholars, officials, and business leaders in order to boost smart and sustainable productions throughout the manufacturing process.