Rubina Romanello and Valerio Veglio
In the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Industry 4.0 can increase the productivity and competitiveness of companies in the international marketplace. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
In the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Industry 4.0 can increase the productivity and competitiveness of companies in the international marketplace. The purpose of this article is to investigate the drivers for and outcomes of the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in the case of a food processing company located in Italy.
Design/methodology/approach
The present work adopted a case study approach by investigating an Italian food processing company to investigate the drivers, challenges and outcomes of Industry 4.0 adoption in the agri-food sector.
Findings
This research highlighted drivers and challenges related to the adoption of different Industry 4.0 technologies. Secondly, it underlined the impacts of Industry 4.0 in terms of firm performance, operations management, human resource management and strategy.
Originality/value
Industry 4.0 technologies remain underexplored from the strategic perspective in the agri-food sector. This article provides preliminary evidence on the digital transformation of food processing companies, with a focus on Industry 4.0. Practical implications for managers, CEOs and entrepreneurs are discussed.
Details
Keywords
Guido Bortoluzzi, Maria Chiarvesio, Rubina Romanello, Raffaella Tabacco and Valerio Veglio
This article aims to contribute to the digital servitisation literature by investigating the interrelations amongst Industry 4.0 technologies, servitisation and the performance of…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to contribute to the digital servitisation literature by investigating the interrelations amongst Industry 4.0 technologies, servitisation and the performance of manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Design/methodology/approach
The research uses survey data drawn from 200 manufacturing SMEs operating in the metals and machinery sector in Italy.
Findings
The study shows that Industry 4.0 technologies – Internet of Things (IoT), advanced simulation, cloud computing and Big Data Analytics (BDA) – positively moderate the relationship between servitisation and the performance of SMEs.
Research limitations/implications
The study supports the need for firm managers of manufacturing SMEs to align servitisation and technological investments, suggesting that the synergic deployment of Industry 4.0 technologies supports servitisation performance.
Practical implications
The study supports the need for firm managers operating in business-to-business contexts to align their technological investments and servitisation strategies, suggesting that the synergic deployment of these Industry 4.0 technologies empower the effectiveness of servitisation strategies in terms of performance achieved.
Originality/value
The study highlights the moderating role played by specific Industry 4.0 technologies in the servitisation–performance relationship, opening avenues for future research exploring the mechanisms that underpin this complex relationship.