The role of innovation ecosystems in Industry 4.0 adoption

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify actions and guidelines for enabling and fostering the Industry 4.0 adoption, as well as to understand the role of three ecosystem actors in these actions (i.e. companies, educational organizations and regional policy makers).Design/methodology/approach52 semi-structured expert interviews in the Tyrol-Veneto cross-border macro-region were carried out and interpreted using the innovation ecosystem concept. In particular, drawing from this latter, six ecosystem building blocks were identified and used to analyze the interviews' content.FindingsThe findings allow not only to build a comprehensive framework for action to support Industry 4.0 adoption, but also to confirm the importance of exploring Industry 4.0 through the lens of the ecosystem concept. Indeed, the authors show that R&D activities should be complemented with interorganizational actions, such as training and networking, and that all ecosystem actors should be involved in the Industry 4.0 adoption.Originality/valueThis is among the few studies that adopt the innovation ecosystem perspective to explore best practices for Industry 4.0 adoption, thus overcoming the weakness of existing papers based on a firm-level perspective. It also complements previous ecosystem-based research on Industry 4.0 by exploring the technology adoption side, rather than the technology provision one, and by considering the adoption of a wide set of technologies.

Resources and capabilities for Industry 4.0 implementation: evidence from proactive Portuguese SMEs

“…through Portugal 2020 program and other national and international initiatives) but also because the Government plays a pivotal role in developing regulations and standards. The findings are aligned with Matt et al. (2021) and Raj et al.…”

“…through Portugal 2020 program and other national and international initiatives) but also because the Government plays a pivotal role in developing regulations and standards. The findings are aligned with Matt et al (2021) and Raj et al (2020), which state that developed countries such as Portugal have formulated national strategies and policies for incentivizing I4.0 technologies. On the other hand, developing countries have adopted I4.0 technologies on a corporate level, relying on individual corporate initiatives rather than national and coordinated policies.…”

The Application of Industry 4.0 Technological Constituents for Sustainable Manufacturing: A Content-Centric Review

“…To enhance sustainability, top management should allocate enough resources and funds to spend in research and development initiatives [46]. However, it is vital to foster an open and enthusiastic attitude toward future technical challenges for ensuring the success of the innovation process [113]. Furthermore, engineers and managers should collaborate to build a shared vision and knowledge of sustainable manufacturing in order to allow cross-functional interaction [114].…”

Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) Readiness Among Industry Players: A Systematic Literature Review

“…IR4.0 readiness model related Empirical data, method, readiness insight, factors [58], [19], [59], [60], [61], [62], [63], [64], [65] Funding related Policy, requirements [66], [15], [59], [31] Self-assessment related Reason, method, benefit [17], [16], [62], [60], [61], [67] Training related Demand skills, benefit, barrier [68], [18], [69], [15], [70], [71], [72], [24], [50]…”

“…al. [68] agreed that the example of the perspective (firm-level perspective) is the innovation ecosystem concept. Chen et.…”