This article explores the relationship between the introduction of Industry 4.0 automation systems, the organisation of the work process, and the implications for employment, skill composition, power relations, and workers’ intervention authority. We investigate the undergoing technological and organisational transformation in three high-tech automotive factories in Italy and we find that the push towards sheer automation does not constitute the most relevant process under way. Rather, more effort is devoted to digitalisation and interconnection. Technological change appears to be strategically used by firms to achieve a lean system and a tense, demand-led, production flow. In terms of human-machine relationship and workers’ authority to intervene on the production process, our case studies show that Industry 4.0 reduces room for employees’ autonomy and increases forms of management control.

本文探讨了工业4.0自动化系统的引入，工作流程的组织以及对就业，技能组成，权力关系和工人干预权的影响之间的关系。我们调查了意大利三个高科技汽车工厂正在进行的技术和组织转型，发现纯粹自动化的推动并不构成正在进行的最相关的过程。而是将更多的精力投入到数字化和互连上。企业似乎已在战略上使用技术变革来实现精益系统和紧张的，以需求为导向的生产流程。在人机关系和工人干预生产过程的权限方面，我们的案例研究表明行业4。