Industry 4.0 base technologies and business models: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

PurposeThe objective of this study is to examine current business and management research on “Industry 4.0 base technologies” and “business models” to shed light on this vast literature and to point out future research agenda.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a bibliometric analysis of scientific publications based on 482 documents collected from the Scopus database and a co-citation analysis to provide an overview of business model studies related to Industry 4.0 base technologies. After that a qualitative analysis of the articles was also conducted to identify research trends and trajectories.FindingsThe results reveal the existence of five research themes: smart products (cluster 1); business model innovation (cluster 2); technological platforms (cluster 3); value creation and appropriation (cluster 4); and digital business models (cluster 5). A qualitative analysis of the articles was also conducted to identify research trends and trajectories.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the dataset was collected through Scopus. The authors are aware that other databases, such as Web of Science, can be used to deepen the focus of quantitative bibliometric analysis. Second, the authors based this analysis on the Industry 4.0 base technologies identified by Frank et al. (2019). The authors recognize that Industry 4.0 comprises other technologies beyond IoT, cloud computing, big data and analytics.Practical implicationsDrawing on these analyses, the authors submit a useful baseline for developing Industry 4.0 base technologies and considering their implications for business models.Originality/valueIn this paper, the authors focus their attention on the relationship between technologies underlying the fourth industrial revolution, identified by Frank et al. (2019), and the business model, with a particular focus on the developments that have occurred over the last decade and the authors performed a bibliometric analysis to consider all the burgeoning literature on the topic.

Critical Steps and Conditions to Be Included in a Business Model in Logistics, Seeking Competitive Advantage from the Perspective of the Modern Digital Age and Industry 4.0

“…Of course, in this case, the importance of digital transformation should be emphasized, as it is the basis for the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies in all aspects of business, fundamentally changing the way it operates and providing value to customers. At the same time, digital transformation strongly emphasizes the importance of business model innovation in logistics companies that want to make the most of Industry 4.0 technologies [8]. At the same time, it should be noted that logistics companies should also focus on developing smart products that communicate with each other as well as with the existing system.…”

“…The two main factors that influence a business model are employee skills and organizational culture. Industry 4.0 is a collective concept that describes the technique of innovation and the organization of the value chain, thus offering a revolution in the manufacturing industry [8,9]. Although it is directly linked to mechanical equipment and modern technologies, it also includes its humanitarian side and the role that people play.…”

Industry 4.0—Premise for Sustainability: Implementation Degree in Manufacturing Companies from Romania

“…Considering the previous mentioned studies [4,13,17,20, and based on the fact that the specialized literature is poor in studies related to the use of Industry 4.0 by manufacturing companies from Romania, the research developed in this paper was based on certain hypotheses, as follows.…”

“…Although industry and researchers have different ideas about what Industry 4.0 is and how to define it [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13], there is consensus on the terminology that is most frequently used in the area to describe the technologies associated with Industry 4.0. These are Big Data (BD), Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs), Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Additive Manufacturing (AM), Cloud Computing, Augmented/Virtual Reality, cybersecurity, and cobots (collaborative robots).…”

“…Ferrigno et al [13] focused their research on the relationship between technologies underlying Industry 4.0 and the business models adopted by different companies. In order to highlight this connection, the authors have developed a study based on scientific publications (a sample of 482 articles) from Scopus database between 2011 and 2022.…”