Industry 4.0: defining the research agenda

Abstract

Purpose Industry 4.0 implies that global challenges exist within the manufacturing sector. Both theoretical and empirical research has been developed to support these transformations and assist companies in the process of changing. The purpose of this paper is to gather previous articles through an updated review and defines a research agenda for future investigation based on the most recent studies published in the field. Design/methodology/approach Key articles on the subject are analysed. The articles were published in 39 journals from which 107 papers dating from 2005 to 2018 have been selected. Findings The main findings imply the definition of a research agenda where: a common terminology should be created; the levels of implementation of Industry 4.0 should be defined; the stages of the development of Industry 4.0 should be identified; a lean approach for this industry is defined and the implications of Industry 4.0 in either a sustainable or circular economy should be understood; the consequences of human resources should be analysed; and the effects of the smart factory in the organisation are the areas identified and studied in the mentioned research agenda. Research limitations/implications This review has some limitations. First, a number of grey literature, such as reports from non-governmental organisations and front-line practitioners’ reflections, were not included. Second, only research studies in English and Spanish were reviewed. Practical implications This review helps practitioners in their implementation of Industry 4.0. Moreover, the identified future research areas may help to define priorities in this implementation. Originality/value After examining previous research, this paper proposes a research agenda covering issues about Industry 4.0. This research agenda should guide future investigations in the smart industry.

Nexus of circular economy and sustainable business performance in the era of digitalization

“…The barriers hindering zero waste management could be overcome by integrating it with digital technologies such as IoT (Kerdlap et al, 2019;Garcés, 2019). The implementation of big data infrastructure enhances the readiness of I4.0 and sharing economy in the context of CE (Pham et al, 2019).…”

Stories Told by Publications about the Relationship between Industry 4.0 and Lean: Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

“…Furthermore, the lean philosophy has been identified as a beneficial tool to change and improve the cultural value of a company, improving at the same time the work that is done. In this line of thought, lean could support the development of industry 4.0 in a company [31].…”

“…According to Tortorella et al [4], Rauch et al [54], Tortorella et al [5], Erro-Garcés et al [31], Rossini et al [3], Bittencourt et al [20], and Rossini et al [27], lean practices implementation shows a great potential of a higher adoption of I4.0 technologies. This is assumed because of the solid behavioral and processes foundation that lean can provide.…”

Digital transformation by enabling strategic capabilities in the context of “BRICS”

“…This study aims to understand how firms can build and reconfigure internal and external digital competencies supported by the opportunities of adopting the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies, as soon as this transition takes place all over the world (OECD, 2019). The conceptual evolution of applying the I4.0 technologies is analyzed in the emerging countries (ECs) by the sociotechnical and economic perspectives (Erro-Garc es, 2019). As result, a framework is proposed to organizations review their journey toward I4.0 and convergent digital transformation.…”

“…These will be performed by enabling strategic processes such as big data collections (Gandomi and Haider, 2015), intelligent analytical practices (Chen, Chiang, & Storey, 2012) and new business models (Schallmo, Williams, & Boardman, 2017). In this sense, public policies, data-driven actions and strategic decisions request organizational answers toward the global digital environment (Silva, Bernardes, Ramalho, Ekel, Martins, & Lib orio, 2019;Erro-Garc es, 2019).…”