We understand the maturity of an industrial enterprise in the context of the fourth industrial revolution as the state of the of internal and external conditions that support basic concepts of Industry 4.0 such as vertical and horizontal integration of production systems and enterprises or digital integration of engineering throughout the value chain. The ongoing trends of digitization and automation are causing many fundamental changes that will affect the entire area of logistics. On the way to Industry 4.0, intelligently controlled machines and robots will take over increasingly challenging tasks from humans. This is good news for logistics, whose complex processes with minimal standardization options are often limiting factors to expanding the automation of logistics and warehousing activities. An important aspect however is the company's readiness for the concept of Industry 4.0. Models of readiness evaluate the maturity of the company and are the main content of this paper, which is mainly of a search nature and compares the existing individual models. The analysis is based on knowledge of the main theoretical topics, which are described in the introductory part. Systematic research and evaluation of literature, comparison and analysis of models and interviews with experts are the basic development phase for the design of a new model of maturity which is focused on the evaluation of internal logistics processes. It is mainly a framework model with the main parameters, which is the subject of further development.

The primary purpose of this article is to present a maturity model dealing with environmental manufacturing processes in a company. According to some authors, Industry 4.0 is based on characteristics that have already been the focus of “lean and green” concepts. The goal of the article was to move from resource consumption, pollutant emissions, and more extensive manufacturing towards environmentally responsible manufacturing (ERM). Using environmental materials and methods reduces energy consumption, which generates cost savings and higher profits. Here, value stream mapping (VSM) was applied to identify core processes with environmental potential. This paper provides an understanding of the role of environmental manufacturing in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

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Industry 4.0 brings technologies of automation, the use of collaborative robots, and modern advanced warehousing interconnected with digitization of all steps of the production process, not excluding logistics. Internal logistics vary in different product types. Due to the specification of the Industry 4.0. concept, irregularities can be improved into fully autonomous processes. This trend also raises SMEs’ flexibility in terms of business processes and production organization. The transformation to Industry 4.0 is different from many perspectives (technological, organizational, financial). Therefore, companies need to know their processes’ state and determine their readiness for automation and digitization. After this, a consecutive strategy needs to be adjusted. This article presents the evaluation results of a comparison within individual business sectors (automotive, engineering, and electrical engineering fields). Several scientific methods were used for the successful realization of the objectives of the work (basic logical methods and empirical methods). The proposed methodology was verified in the form of an experiment in selected industrial enterprises. Internal logistics processes were observed inside real enterprises as a form of suitable preliminary research. Further potential cooperation between the companies and a team of experts specializing in Industry 4.0 is planned.

Industry 4.0 integrates modern technologies into independently functioning units and fundamentally changes established production and non-production processes. Industry 4.0 is also used in the field of logistics with the introduction of automation, robotics or modern warehouse systems with a key element of digitisation. Development based on these principles presents huge challenges for the logistics sector as well as opportunities for further growth. Because the field of logistics is very large, it is important to be more specific. Internal logistics is a very important part of production processes; areas such as storage and supply of production lines with input materials are some of the key processes in a company. The implementation of Industry 4.0 principles is specific and, for many companies, demanding technologically, organisationally and financially. Therefore, companies must know their current level of logistics processes and evaluate the readiness of these elements for automation and digitisation. The company’s management should create a strategy which evaluates internal logistics processes for Industry 4.0. Company readiness will be evaluated on the basis of the tools (methodology) presented in the article. An objective assessment with a multi-level system is needed, and therefore internal logistics is structured into sub-areas. The implementation of this innovative method of evaluation in the industrial environment and a description of the tool development process will also be presented. As these are extensive issues, the initial sections cover the theoretical background of the topics that justify the need and novelty of this tool.