On July 15, 2026, doctoral candidate Elvis Krulčić successfully completed his Doctoral Study Programme after defending his doctoral dissertation titled „Development of a Methodology for Integrating Digital Technologies in the Design of Production Systems“.
His dissertation addresses the development of a methodology for integrating digital technologies into manufacturing system design within the context of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0. The research addresses a gap between existing reference architectures and the fragmented, technology-driven approaches applied in industrial practice, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises with limited digital maturity. The dissertation introduces a structured framework encompassing thirteen interconnected elements of production system design, ranging from the definition of requirements, products, and processes to resources, scheduling, logistics, quality, maintenance, health, safety, and environment, efficiency, and the application of digital technologies. Additionally, a 13 x 16 matrix was developed to map these design elements to representative digital technologies, enabling the identification of their dominant and supporting roles during the design process. As a further scientific contribution, the thesis proposes a seven-stage lifecycle management model for production systems, complete with its corresponding perspectives and a meta-layer. This model introduces a lifelong production system management concept aligned with Industry 5.0 principles, emphasizing the importance of strategic thinking and the development of dynamic capabilities within enterprises. Empirical validation of the methodology was conducted across four industrial enterprises using expert questionnaires, case studies, an evidence-based Delphi process, and a comparative analysis of master schedules. The results validate the potential of the developed methodology to optimize overall performance and key performance indicators as early as the design phase, reducing the need for subsequent physical system corrections and accelerating digital transformation in industry.
The doctoral dissertation was supervised by Assoc. Prof. Sandro Doboviček (Faculty of Engineering, University of Rijeka) and co-supervised by Assoc. Prof. Simon Klančnik (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor).
The Doctoral Dissertation Defense Committee consisted of: Prof. Goran Cukor (Chair), Prof. Mladen Perinić (Member) – both from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Rijeka – and Assoc. Prof. Nikola Gjeldum (Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split).
Congratulations to our colleague!
