Special Section: Advances and Challenges in Cloud Manufacturing

Cloud computing (e.g., software as a service, platform as a service, and infrastructure as a service) represents a new-generation, service-oriented business model in support of multiple companies for deploying and managing services over the Internet. Cloud-based manufacturing (or cloud manufacturing), on the other hand, would provide cost-effective, flexible, and scalable solutions to companies by sharing complex manufacturing resources with lower support and maintenance costs. Cloud manufacturing implies an integrated cyber-physical system that can provide on-demand manufacturing services, digitally and physically, at the best utilization of manufacturing resources. It aims at offering a shared pool of resources such as manufacturing software tools, manufacturing facilities, and manufacturing capabilities. However, cloud manufacturing is more than simply deploying manufacturing software applications in the computing cloud. Besides data storage and virtual machines, the physical resources integrated in the manufacturing cloud must be able to offer adaptive, secure, and on-demand manufacturing services over the Internet of...