Special issue on collaborative production and maintenance in the environment of big data and industry 4.0

The fourth industrial revolution has revolutionised the manufacturing landscape, introducing interconnectedness, automation, and data-driven decision-making. With the advancements of smart sensors such as RFID technologies, it is now possible to collect, store, and process a huge amount of data, which would not have been imagined a few years ago. However, the questions remain if sufficient information can be extracted from such data. Data provides little useful information unless it is properly analysed. Many emerging frameworks and concepts have stimulated tremendous attentions on big data, as well as associated technologies and business models. The advents in machine learning and artificial intelligence have significantly boosted the accuracy of data-driven descriptions and predictions. The efforts devoted to big data is envisioned to lead transformations in production and maintenance management. In this era of rapidly evolving technologies, the collaboration between humans, machines, and data has become crucial for achieving efficient and sustainable production and maintenance processes.