In the modern world we are continuously surrounded by information. The human brain has to analyse and interpret this information to transform into useable knowledge that is then used in decision making activities. The advent and implementation of Industry 4.0 will make it a requirement for systems within factories to interact and share large quantities of information with each other. This large volume of information will make it even more difficult for the human resources within the factory to sift through the large amount of information required since there is a limit to the information that our brains can cope with. Just in time information retrieval (JITIR) within the digital factory environment aims to provide support to the human stakeholders in the system by proactively yet non-intrusively providing the required information at the right time based on the users context. This paper will therefore provide an insight into the cognitive difficulties experienced by humans in the digital factory and how JITIR can tackle these challenges. By validating the JITIR concept, several industry scenarios have been evaluated: an exemplary model, concerning the machine tool industry, is presented in the paper. The results of this research are a set of guidelines for the development of a digital factory support tool.

Client demand for on-of-a-kind products and services is leading to a paradigm shift in the way organisations, and especially SMEs collaborate to design, customise, configure, and manage specialised products and services. This paper presents the findings from a living lab case study of a textile machinery manufacturing SME that uses the concept of model-based collaborative virtual engineering and supporting tools in the form of a mashed-up modelserver environment to support the needs of its mobile engineers. Initial findings reveal that use of such an environment provides real-time (on the finger-tips) access to relevant data through a single interface, reduces rework, provides real-time updates, supports on-the-move interactive collaboration, decreases meeting times, and allows for better response to and satisfaction of client needs.