Industry 4.0: coherent definition framework with technological and organizational interdependencies

The purpose of this paper is to introduce coherent Industry 4.0 definition via a rigorous analysis framework, and provide a holistic view of technological, organizational and other key aspects (variables) of Industry 4.0 along with the identification of interdependencies that co-occur between them.

The study conducts a systematic literature review using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis methodology, and includes 675 papers analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The former utilizes TIBCO Statistica. Furthermore, to define Industry 4.0, the authors reviewed 52 publications.

Industry 4.0 is a multidimensional system of value creation that includes 42 groups of terms in management, organizational and business-related variables, 30 technological and manufacturing-related variables – classified into seven categories – and several interdependencies that co-occur between them.

The analyses’ outcomes are of high importance both for academia and industry practitioners, as the findings elucidate the meaning of Industry 4.0 and may be used as the basis of future research in management, production management, industrial organizations and other Industry 4.0-related disciplines. Regarding industrial companies, the publication serves as a compendium, and should support industrial businesses in the transition from traditional manufacturing into the Industry 4.0 era.

This work’s novelty and value is threefold: first, the paper introduces an Industry 4.0 definition framework based on the most popular publications in the field. Second, the paper identifies and presents Industry 4.0’s common technologies and organizational variables via a systematic and current literature review. Finally, the paper extends the ongoing discourse on Industry 4.0. For the first time in this discipline, interdependences between identified Industry 4.0 variables are presented and discussed.