{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,15]],"date-time":"2025-12-15T09:55:57Z","timestamp":1765792557499,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"24","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,13]],"date-time":"2025-12-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765584000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Fundac\u0327\u00e3o para a Ci\u00ea ncia e a Tecnologia"},{"name":"European Union under NextGenerationEU"},{"name":"Portuguese Republic\u2019s Recovery and Resilience Plan"},{"name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia I.P.","award":["UID\/00667"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UID\/00667"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sustainability"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The apparel industry plays a critical role in the global economy but continues to face persistent challenges related to fit accuracy, overproduction, inefficiencies, and limited digital integration. These issues are particularly evident in made-to-measure (MtM) manufacturing, where manual processes, fragmented digital tools, and weak data continuity hinder scalability and sustainability. This study aims to identify the key barriers to MtM 4.0 adoption and propose a digitally integrated workflow capable of supporting efficient, sustainable, and customer-centric apparel production. A systematic review of Industry 4.0 technologies and MtM practices is conducted to structure the problem and derive the requirements for a next-generation workflow. Based on these insights, a three-stage MtM 4.0 workflow (connecting design, product development, and production) is developed and operationalized in a functional prototype, MtM Lusitano 4.0. The prototype integrates a web configurator, a rule-based pattern engine, and ERP\/MES connectivity, enabling full digital continuity from customer input to shop-floor execution. Results from industrial deployment confirm functional improvements, including increased measurement accuracy, reduced manual interventions, and stable production release flows. The study concludes that the proposed MtM 4.0 workflow strengthens operational efficiency, supports sustainability goals, and provides a structured pathway for digital transformation in the apparel sector.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/su172411176","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,15]],"date-time":"2025-12-15T09:36:39Z","timestamp":1765791399000},"page":"11176","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Made-to-Measure in the Industry 4.0 Era: Barriers, Workflow, and an Operational Prototype for the Apparel Sector (MtM Lusitano 4.0)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9765-9164","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paulo","family":"Pe\u00e7as","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"IDMEC, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9467-0096","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Susana","family":"Duarte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UNIDEMI, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"},{"name":"Laborat\u00f3rio Associado de Sistemas Inteligentes, LASI, 4800-058 Guimar\u00e3es, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1165-4339","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Virg\u00edlio","family":"Cruz-Machado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UNIDEMI, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"},{"name":"Laborat\u00f3rio Associado de Sistemas Inteligentes, LASI, 4800-058 Guimar\u00e3es, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Paulo","family":"Soares","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vanguarda\u2013Solu\u00e7\u00f5es de Gest\u00e3o Lda., 4470-615 Moreira da Maia, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"1214","article-title":"Lean & Green on Industry 4.0 Context\u2014Contribution to Understand L & G Drivers and Design Principles","volume":"6","author":"John","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int. J. Math. Eng. Manag. Sci."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pe\u00e7as, P., Encarna\u00e7\u00e3o, J., Gamb\u00f4a, M., Sampayo, M., and Jorge, D. (2021). PDCA 4.0: A new conceptual approach for continuous improvement in the industry 4.0 paradigm. Appl. Sci., 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/app11167671"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ahmad, S., Miskon, S., Alabdan, R., and Tlili, I. (2020). Towards sustainable textile and apparel industry: Exploring the role of business intelligence systems in the era of industry 4.0. Sustainability, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/su12072632"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kaur, G., Dey, B.K., Pandey, P., Majumder, A., and Gupta, S. (2024). A Smart Manufacturing Process for Textile Industry Automation under Uncertainties. Processes, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/pr12040778"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1871","DOI":"10.1177\/0040517511411968","article-title":"Applications of artificial intelligence in the apparel industry: A review","volume":"81","author":"Guo","year":"2011","journal-title":"Text. Res. J."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"109824","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cie.2023.109824","article-title":"A conceptual framework for the operations planning of the textile supply chains: Insights for sustainable and smart planning in uncertain and dynamic contexts","volume":"187","author":"Alemany","year":"2024","journal-title":"Comput. Ind. Eng."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Caballero-Morales, S.-O., Cuautle-Guti\u00e9rrez, L., Cordero-Guridi, J.-J., and Alvarez-Tamayo, R.-I. (2023). Six-Sigma Reference Model for Industry 4.0 Implementations in Textile SMEs. Sustainability, 15.","DOI":"10.3390\/su151612589"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"885","DOI":"10.1007\/s11740-025-01349-8","article-title":"Enhancing garment manufacturing efficiency through human-centered scheduling","volume":"19","author":"Bao","year":"2025","journal-title":"Prod. Eng."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Glogar, M., Petrak, S., and Nagli\u0107, M.M. (2025). Digital Technologies in the Sustainable Design and Development of Textiles and Clothing\u2014A Literature Review. Sustainability, 17.","DOI":"10.3390\/su17041371"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"942","DOI":"10.3390\/jtaer19020049","article-title":"Tailoring Garment Fit for Personalized Body Image Enhancement: Insights from Digital Fitting Research","volume":"19","author":"Li","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bandara, D.T., and Senanayake, C. (2024, January 8\u201310). Digital Twin Technology in Apparel Industry: Potential for Rebalancing of Manual Assembly Lines. Proceedings of the 2024 Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon), Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.","DOI":"10.1109\/MERCon63886.2024.10688982"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107742","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cie.2021.107742","article-title":"Towards a mass customization in the fashion industry: An evolutionary decision aid model for apparel product platform design and optimization","volume":"162","author":"Longo","year":"2021","journal-title":"Comput. Ind. Eng."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5793","DOI":"10.3934\/era.2023295","article-title":"AI-driven innovation in ethnic clothing design: An intersection of machine learning and cultural heritage","volume":"31","author":"Deng","year":"2023","journal-title":"Electron. Res. Arch."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.1016\/j.spc.2024.05.010","article-title":"Towards circular fashion: Management strategies promoting circular behaviour along the value chain","volume":"48","author":"Abdelmeguid","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sustain. Prod. Consum."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"531","DOI":"10.1007\/s10479-019-03149-7","article-title":"Challenges and critical successful factors for apparel mass customization operations: Recent development and case study","volume":"291","author":"Liu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Ann. Oper. Res."},{"key":"ref_16","first-page":"1","article-title":"Rule-free sewing pattern adjustment with precision and efficiency","volume":"37","author":"Wang","year":"2018","journal-title":"ACM Trans. Graph."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"136","DOI":"10.1080\/17569370.2021.1987647","article-title":"Evaluation of 2D CAD Technology for Garments Customized for Body Shape","volume":"15","author":"Guo","year":"2023","journal-title":"Fash. Pract."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"120","article-title":"Value Creation by SMEs Participating in Global Value Chains under Industry 4.0 Trend: Case Study of Textile Industry in Taiwan","volume":"22","author":"Chen","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Glob. Inf. Technol. Manag."},{"key":"ref_19","first-page":"100579","article-title":"A multicriteria model for assessing maturity in industry 4.0 context","volume":"38","author":"Ferreira","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Ind. Inf. Integr."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"352","DOI":"10.1108\/RJTA-03-2018-0023","article-title":"Fashion 4.0. Innovating fashion industry through digital transformation","volume":"22","author":"Bertola","year":"2018","journal-title":"Res. J. Text. Appar."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20230016","DOI":"10.1515\/aut-2023-0016","article-title":"Predicting consumers\u2019 garment fit satisfactions by using machine learning","volume":"24","author":"Oosterom","year":"2024","journal-title":"AUTEX Res. J."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"690","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jmsy.2014.05.006","article-title":"A virtual try-on system in augmented reality using RGB-D cameras for footwear personalization","volume":"33","author":"Yang","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Manuf. Syst."},{"key":"ref_23","first-page":"29","article-title":"Competitiveness of Textile Producers in Digital Business Era","volume":"32","author":"Sterev","year":"2024","journal-title":"Strateg. Policy Sci. Educ. Strateg. Obraz. Nauchnata Polit."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"136184","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2023.136184","article-title":"Decision-making in the context of Industry 4.0: Evidence from the textile and clothing industry","volume":"391","author":"Nouinou","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Clean. Prod."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"157","DOI":"10.1177\/09722629221130233","article-title":"Industry 4.0 in Textile and Apparel Industry: A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research Trends","volume":"28","author":"Deepthi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Vis. J. Bus. Perspect."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107776","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijpe.2020.107776","article-title":"Industry 4.0 technologies assessment: A sustainability perspective","volume":"229","author":"Bai","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Prod. Econ."},{"key":"ref_27","first-page":"100348","article-title":"CPSD2: A new approach for cyber-physical systems design and development","volume":"28","author":"Sampayo","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Ind. Inf. Integr."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Martinho, R., Lopes, J., Jorge, D., de Oliveira, L.C., Henriques, C., and Pe\u00e7as, P. (2022). IoT Based Automatic Diagnosis for Continuous Improvement. Sustainability, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/su14159687"},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hidayatno, A., Rahman, I., and Irminanda, K.R. (2019, January 27). A Conceptualization of Industry 4.0 Adoption on Textile and Clothing Sector in Indonesia. Proceedings of the 2019 5th International Conference on Industrial and Business Engineering, Hong Kong, China.","DOI":"10.1145\/3364335.3364351"},{"key":"ref_30","first-page":"321","article-title":"Barriers to the adoption of industry 4.0 technologies within the Australian fashion industry","volume":"18","author":"Marshall","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int. J. Fash. Des. Technol. Educ."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Falani, L.A., de Aguiar, C.R.L., and Forno, A.J.D. (2021, January 5\u20138). Initial overview of industry 4.0 in textile companies from Santa Catarina. Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, Sao Paulo, Brazil.","DOI":"10.46254\/SA02.20210299"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"365","DOI":"10.1080\/00405000.2024.2336438","article-title":"Clothing industry in transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0","volume":"116","author":"Jahromi","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Text. Inst."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Monteiro, R.A., Junior, D.S.G., Sobral, E.F.M., de Barros Falc\u00e3o, P.H., de Melo, F.J.C., and Bastos-Filho, C. (2024). Global Trends and Practices of Industry 4.0 Applications in the Clothing Sector: A Systematic Literature Review. Adm. Sci., 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/admsci14100258"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e32044","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heliyon.2024.e32044","article-title":"Prospects and current scenario of industry 4.0 in Bangladeshi textile and apparel industry","volume":"10","author":"Mim","year":"2024","journal-title":"Heliyon"},{"key":"ref_35","first-page":"404","article-title":"Examining the relationship between firm characteristics and Industry 4.0 technology adoption in Vietnam\u2019s apparel industry","volume":"17","author":"Jin","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int. J. Fash. Des. Technol. Educ."},{"key":"ref_36","first-page":"1","article-title":"All-3D apparel development: Establishing the rules to enable 3D weaving from 3D digital garments","volume":"19","author":"Hillaire","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Eng. Fiber. Fabr."},{"key":"ref_37","first-page":"792","article-title":"Facilitating Teaching and Learning with Made to Measure Fashion Design and Creation MOOC Courses","volume":"10","author":"Dove","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Inf. Educ. Technol."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103372","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compind.2020.103372","article-title":"Managing the barriers of Industry 4.0 adoption and implementation in textile and clothing industry: Interpretive structural model and triple helix framework","volume":"125","author":"Majumdar","year":"2021","journal-title":"Comput. Ind."}],"container-title":["Sustainability"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/17\/24\/11176\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,15]],"date-time":"2025-12-15T09:53:23Z","timestamp":1765792403000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/17\/24\/11176"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,13]]},"references-count":38,"journal-issue":{"issue":"24","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12]]}},"alternative-id":["su172411176"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/su172411176","relation":{},"ISSN":["2071-1050"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2071-1050","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,13]]}}}