The Factory Communication area is facing the leap of new generation wired and wireless technologies e.g. TSN, WiFi6, 5G, and more, expanding from automation to the IIoT. Induced by the rapid change in consumer electronics towards high performance wireless, also many new industrial applications are about to move into the wireless domain. These strong and appealing ideas create many challenges addressed by recent research. Nevertheless, wired communication is also substantially developing, e.g. TSN, thus improving dependable real-time communication. More and more distributed control applications have an increasing need for real-time data exchange. Mobile robots and UAVs used in factories introduce the need of seamless integrated distributed systems to connect edge computing to intelligent IIoT. Hence, challenging questions arise on wireless and wired communication in IT and OT industrial networks supporting data, sensor, and actuator communication. In those systems, security is a major concern to lay base for safe processes. Measures from AI to physical layer security contribute to a next generation dependable factory communication regardless if wired or wireless. The 17th edition of WFCS will focus on these challenges. The WFCS is the largest IEEE conference especially dedicated to communications for industrial automation systems. It is held the first time in Linz, Austria, an industrial emerging area with leading industries. It is a melting pot of academia and industry. This fact is shown by the local organizer mix of this WFCS which are Johannes Kepler University Linz, Silicon Austria Labs and Linz Center of Mechatronics GmbH. The WFCS is supported by IEEE and IES and led by the IEEE TC on Factory Automation, and will be hosted by the Johannes Kepler University Linz.

FOCUS ON:

Communication Systems and Technologies; Protocols and Standards for Networked Embedded and Cyber-Physical Systems; Real-time, Safety, Security and Maintenance of Automation Systems and Networks; applying Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to enhance and Communication Technologies for Industry 4.0; Low-power and Green Communication in Industry; recent advances in research domains with similar communication requirements.

SUBMISSION OF PAPERS:

All regular submissions must be up to 8 pages following the IEEE conferences template and submitted through EasyChair. A work in progress track is available to exchange ideas at an early stage of the work and to discuss recent results in the community. A work in progress paper has up to 4 pages.