The manufacturing era is going through an evolutionary phase from Industry 3.0 to Industry 4.0 (I4.0). In 2011, Germany initiated I4.0 during the Hanover fair in collaboration with industrialists, academicians and researchers. The benefits of implementing I4.0 are attracting the curiosity of practitioners. In current academic literature, there is little discussion related to analysing potential roadblocks of I4.0 implementation using mathematical modelling. This paper has identified roadblocks through an extensive literature review and validation has been carried out by gathering experts' opinions. As per the findings, the identified roadblocks have been categorized into five sections: management roadblocks, operational roadblocks, human resource roadblocks, procedural and behavioural roadblocks.A case study of the automobile industry has been discussed. The data was collected from experts in the area of I4.0. A Graph Theory and Matrix Approach (GTMA) was applied to evaluate the relative intensity of the roadblocks, Comprehensive I4.0 Index (CII) and its range for each category of roadblock. Implications for industrialists, practitioners and academicians are provided.

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PurposeThe purpose of the study is two-fold. First, to find out the different barriers that prevent the implementation of sustainable manufacturing practices in the case of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Second, quantifying the relative intensity of these barriers to understand the importance and dependence power of the observed variables.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were collected via structured questionnaires from 150 Indian MSMEs working in the automobile industry. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed. Finally, barriers are ranked using graph theory and matrix approach (GTMA), considering the inheritance and interaction among the observed variables.FindingsThere are a total of 22 barriers to “sustainable manufacturing”. EFA and CFA models confirmed four different categories of barriers. In order of importance, they are ranked as – production and operations related; organization related; collaboration related; and government rules and regulations.Practical implicationsThe findings show that there are multiple barriers to sustainable manufacturing. The barriers are categorized into four major categories, and their ranking provides an opportunity for prioritization from both policy and managerial perspectives. The barriers can be overcome through both policy interventions as well as through best practice sharing, benchmarking and organizational-wide initiatives.Originality/valueThe study is among the first studies that provide valuables insights on what are the 22 different barriers to sustainable manufacturing and its relevance to the MSMEs working in the automobile industry. The study would provide further opportunities for similar studies in different sectors.

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