Production Engineering Archives

Aims

Production Engineering Archives (PEA) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly journal published quarterly. It publishes original research and critical review articles that advance the theoretical, methodological and technological foundations of production engineering, manufacturing processes and production systems management.

PEA integrates technologies, operations, people and sustainability, providing an international forum for knowledge exchange between academia and industry. The journal focuses on the integration of intelligent technologies, industrial operations, quality and reliability, human factors, safety, sustainability and advanced manufacturing processes.

PEA aims to publish fundamental and applied research that combines scientific novelty, methodological rigour and industrial relevance. Particular consideration is given to studies that advance the knowledge required to design, manage and improve intelligent, efficient, resilient, safe, sustainable and human-centred production systems, and that provide findings applicable or generalisable beyond a single case.

Scope

The scientific scope of PEA is organised around six principal thematic areas:

1. Smart Manufacturing, Industrial AI and Digital Engineering

The intelligent and digital transformation of manufacturing, including industrial artificial intelligence and machine learning, smart manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0, digital twins, cyber-physical production systems, the Industrial Internet of Things, industrial analytics, robotics, intelligent automation, simulation and data-driven decision support.

2. Production Systems, Operations and Supply Chain Engineering

The design, planning, control and improvement of production systems and industrial operations, including scheduling, optimisation, operations research, production logistics, intralogistics, capacity management, supply chain engineering, and resilient, digital and integrated production and logistics networks.

3. Sustainable ,Circular and Low-Carbon Manufacturing

Sustainable, circular and low-carbon manufacturing, including energy and resource efficiency, industrial decarbonisation, cleaner production, life-cycle assessment, industrial waste reduction and recovery, remanufacturing, recycling, closed-loop material flows, industrial symbiosis and the environmental performance assessment of manufacturing processes and systems.

4. Quality and Reliability Engineering, Maintenace and Operational Excellence

Quality and reliability engineering, Quality 4.0 and Quality 5.0, process monitoring and improvement, diagnostics, maintenance, predictive maintenance, risk management, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, continuous improvement and operational excellence in manufacturing and industrial systems.

5. Human-Centred Manufacturing, Industrial Safety and Ergonomics

Human-centred manufacturing, industrial safety and ergonomics, including human-robot collaboration, human factors, operator assistance systems, occupational safety, workstation design, physical and cognitive workload, digital competencies, worker well-being and human-technology interaction in manufacturing environments.

6. Advanced Manufacturing Processes and Materials

Advanced manufacturing processes and technologies, including additive manufacturing, machining, forming, casting, joining, hybrid manufacturing, surface engineering, manufacturing metrology, process modelling and optimisation, advanced materials and composites, and material-process-structure-property relationships.

Emerging research directions. These areas define the journal's scientific core but do not constitute a closed catalogue of topics. PEA welcomes emerging technologies, methods and research directions where the principal research problem and scientific contribution relate directly to production engineering, manufacturing processes, production systems or industrial operations.

Interdiscipinary Research

The interdisciplinary nature of production engineering makes PEA relevant to researchers from related disciplines, provided that their work makes a clear contribution to the development of production systems, manufacturing processes or industrial operations. This particularly applies to research integrating production engineering with computer and data science, materials engineering, automation and robotics, ergonomics, environmental sciences, economics and management studies.

The journal also considers research at the interface of production engineering and Business, Management and Accounting, particularly studies addressing production and operations management, manufacturing strategy, production economics, industrial performance, risk management, decision support and management accounting for production decisions. However, the central object of such work should remain a manufacturing process, production system, production network or industrial operation.

Article Types and Scientific Standards

• Original Research Articles presenting a significant theoretical, methodological, experimental or empirical contribution.
• Review Articles, Systematic Reviews and State-of-the-Art Reviews providing a critical synthesis of knowledge and generating new insights or research directions.
• Conceptual Articles presenting original models, research frameworks or well-substantiated directions for the advancement of production engineering.

Manuscripts should clearly articulate their scientific contribution, apply an appropriate and transparently described methodology and, where relevant to the nature of the study, include experimental, empirical, computational or industrial validation. Methods, data and research procedures should be reported in sufficient detail to enable an assessment of reliability and the reproduction of results.

PEA welcomes submissions that provide valuable, reliable and generalisable knowledge for contemporary production engineering and production management.