Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is not an exceedingly new concept. Since the term was coined in Germany in 2011 it has come to encompass many enabling technologies around the digitalisation of manufacturing processes growing further into the service industry and beyond. The need for businesses to begin to explore these options to reap the benefits of I4.0 is growing and while many larger organisations are maturing in their adoption many SMEs are not. This paper conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) of the tools available to organisations looking to implement I4.0. The research will focus on tools are around the areas of readiness models, maturity models and frameworks that provide detail on how to begin the journey to I4.0 implementation. The key research questions to be answered are if these tools cater to the unique needs of manufacturing SME’s and the challenges they face. What sets this SLR apart from other analysis is the identification of a research gap for a detailed framework for manufacturing SMEs to implement I4.0 in an agile and sustainable way. As the manufacturing world is changing and consumers are making more informed choices about what they buy with a view towards sustainability how can I4.0 help manufacturing SMEs operate in a sustainable way whilst remaining agile to changing economic conditions. This SLR will form the basis for further research into this area to support SMEs on their I4.0 adoption journey.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.