The fourth web-based conference on Innovative Production Machines and Systems organized by the EU-funded I*PROMS Network of Excellence, IPROMS 2008 builds on the three previous successful conferences, attracting over 300 authors from 30 countries across five continents. This volume of 100 papers provides an invaluable state-of-the-technology review and assessment, enabling readers to appreciate developments and potential in a number of exciting fields. It is a focal point for access to information from researchers and industrial practitioners in the field of intelligent systems and soft computing techniques and their application in diverse areas within manufacturing.