Industry 4.0 Impact on Evolution of Product Development: The Bicycle Saddle Case Study

The emerging new technologies, the rapid change of market demand, and the influence of society moved the companies to be innovative and to improve their product as continuously as effectively. Therefore, the need for smart manufacturing systems and smart products arises to allow the manufacturer satisfying current customer needs, within a context of highly competitive market. The Industry 4.0 initiative provides a base toward the smart manufacturing, aimed at producing the smart and highly connected product. This study analyzes the role of Industry 4.0 technologies in the product development process. Particularly, it investigates how the whole life cycle of product is conceived, to comply with the Industry 4.0 main features. The paper focuses upon a customized bike saddle, assumed as a case study. The saddle comfort depends on many factors, including the rider anatomy. Therefore, it raises the necessity of profound customization to satisfy the user needs. Artificial intelligence techniques, such as data mining for market research, deep learning for customized design, and additive manufacturing technologies, as the stereolithography for 3D printing, concur all to enable the implementation of the Industry 4.0 paradigm, and to innovate significantly the product.