Industry 4.0 in small and medium enterprises: a state-of-the-art science mapping review
Abstract
Purpose
This study comprehensively reviews the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which refers to Industry 4.0 (IR 4.0) applications in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Multinational companies and big corporations have the capacity and resources to implement IR 4.0, but SMEs are limited due to financial constraints, expertise and lack of resources. Even so, IR 4.0 is required as technologies evolve and market demand has changed how firms do business.
Design/methodology/approach
To uncover the potential of IR 4.0 and critical determinants of SMEs’ adoption of IR 4.0, this study presents a bibliometric analysis to evaluate the current research streams in IR 4.0 adoption among SMEs through bibliographic coupling. Furthermore, this review provides a glimpse of the future by analyzing prospective trends on IR 4.0 in SMEs.
Findings
Bibliographic coupling produces five clusters: (1) challenges and barriers in IR 4.0 implementation among SMEs, (2) technological adoption of IR 4.0, (3) opportunities and benefits of IR 4.0, (4) business model innovation and (5) implication of IR 4.0 on SMEs technologies. On the contrary, co-word analysis produces three clusters: (1) technologies in IR 4.0, (2) strategy and management of IR 4.0 among SMEs and (3) IR 4.0 model for SMEs.
Research limitations/implications
Implications are directly related to business owners, policymakers and technology developers meeting the needs of the industry and SMEs, which are the focus of this review.
Originality/value
The findings contribute significantly to the body of knowledge by presenting a state-of-the-art science mapping approach to uncover the knowledge structure and intellectual linkage of IR 4.0 adoption within SMEs.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study is funded by Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Fundamental Research Grant (RDU223413) and Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Flagship Grant: Made in UMP SA (PDU213001-3).
Citation
Ahmad, M.F., Fauzi, M.A., Mustapha, M.R., Muhamad Tamyez, P.F., Sadun, A.S., So, I.G. and Gui, A. (2024), "Industry 4.0 in small and medium enterprises: a state-of-the-art science mapping review", Industrial Robot, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IR-03-2024-0115
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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