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The design of 6th Generation (6G) wireless networks points towards flexible connect-and-compute technologies capable to support innovative services and use cases. Targeting the 2030 horizon, 6G networks are poised to pave the way for sustainable human-centered smart societies and vertical industries, such that wireless networks will be transformed into a distributed smart connectivity infrastructure, where new terminal types are embedded in the daily environment. In this context, the RISE-6G project aims at investigating innovative solutions that capitalize on the latest advances in the emerging technology of Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs), which offers dynamic and goal-oriented radio wave propagation control, enabling the concept of the wireless environment as a service. The project will focus on: i) the realistic modeling of RIS-assisted signal propagation, ii) the investigation of the fundamental limits of RIS-empowered wireless communications and sensing, and iii) the design of efficient algorithms for orchestrating networking RISs, in order to implement intelligent, sustainable, and dynamically programmable wireless environments enabling diverse services that go well beyond the SG capabilities. RISE-6G will offer two unprecedented proof-of-concepts for realizing controlled wireless environments in near-future use cases.

Purpose - Additive manufacturing requires a systemic approach to help industry on technology applicability research. Towards this end, the purpose of this research is to help manufacturing business Ieaders decide whether digitalised manufacturing based on additive manufacturing are suitable for engineering applications and help them plan technology transfer decisions. Design/methodology/approach - The methodology is based on case study research and action research, involving a mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods. The empirical part involved the study of the fatigue life of industrial component manufactured by Iaser sintering as well as a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to define a strategic decision-making. Findings - Laser-sintered plastic materials are suitable in end use automotive applications, especially when there are multiple product variations. Fatigue life of the tested coupling meets the design requirements. Additionally, production of mechanical parts can be substituted by additive methods while digitalising the manufacturing process to gain productivity, especially when there is a need for mass-customisation. Research limitations/limplications- This research relies on a single case study research. The application used is unique and its technical empirical data cannot be transferred directly to other applications. Practical implications - lndustry practitioners can use this research to shed light on technology transferability challenges considering technical feasibility of additive polymer materials, economic aspects as well as strategic implications for implementing digitalised manufacturing methods based on additive manufacturing. Originality/value- This research presents a combined study of technical and strategic factors for additive manufacturing transferability using an industrial mass-customisation case as an example. ln addition, a new cost comparison model is presented including the impact of geometry variations.

International audience; The circumstances of globalisation and ever-stricter environmental legislation over the past decade have led enterprises to work together to transform products into extended products, and to manage these throughout their life cycle. Innovative Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology can be introduced as an enabler of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) business, by enhancing the traceability of the product throughout its value chain via automatic identification, enabling the collection of product usage information during its Middle-of-Life (MOL) phase, and facilitating the integration of product life cycle information and knowledge across the value chain, thus closing the product's information loop from Beginning-of-Life (BOL), through MOL, to End-of-Life (EOL) and back again. This paper will introduce a framework for product life cycle information management with the support of RFID technology. A case study of how the framework supports the decision-making involved in the different life cycle phases of the automotive industry will be described using UML models.

This paper describes an innovative approach to adopt the next-generation manufacturing paradigm based on flexible production units and eco-systems that can be quickly reprogrammed to provide fast time-to-market responses to global consumer demand, address mass-customisation needs and bring life to innovative products. The approach utilises the capabilities offered by digitalisation to facilitate (i) in-depth (self-) monitoring of machines and processes, (ii) decision support and decentralised (self-) adjustment of production, (iii) effective collaboration of the different IoT-connected machines with tools, services and actors (iv) seamless communication of information and decisions from and to the plant floor and (v) efficient interaction with value chain partners. The paper presents the conceptual architecture under development to support those functionalities for two specific domains in manufacturing.

This paper describes an innovative approach to adopt the next-generation manufacturing paradigm based on flexible production units and eco-systems that can be quickly reprogrammed to provide fast time-to-market responses to global consumer demand, address mass-customisation needs and bring life to innovative products. The approach utilises the capabilities offered by digitalisation to facilitate (i) in-depth (self-) monitoring of machines and processes, (ii) decision support and decentralised (self-) adjustment of production, (iii) effective collaboration of the different IoT-connected machines with tools, services and actors (iv) seamless communication of information and decisions from and to the plant floor and (v) efficient interaction with value chain partners. The paper presents the conceptual architecture under development to support those functionalities for two specific domains in manufacturing.