Title: Revisiting the theoretical evolution of Industry 4.0: a thematic analysis of research focus

Authors: Kübra Şimşek Demirbağ; Nihan Yıldırım

Addresses: Management Engineering Department, Istanbul Technical University, ITU Macka Campus, Management Faculty Building, Istanbul 34367, Turkey ' Management Engineering Department, Istanbul Technical University, ITU Macka Campus, Management Faculty Building, Istanbul 34367, Turkey

Abstract: Industry 4.0 (I40), which has been mentioned frequently in recent years, is a collective concept used to express that the developing industry is now in its fourth phase. Enterprises, industries, and even governments are developing strategies and building technology roadmaps for I40. Also, it has occupied a prominent place in the literature, but the comprehensive and systematic studies related to the position of I40 are very limited. Therefore, we aim to investigate the I40 literature and to carry out thematic analysis to reveal the research trends and gaps. The study includes 786 articles on the Scopus database. As a result, articles are mostly based on new tools, technologies and the application of them to manufacturing, while the 'human' dimension is ignored. On the contrary, the technical aspect of I40 is ignored while the effect of I40 on human and social dimensions is focused on the studies prepared by Russian academics.

Keywords: I40; Industry 4.0; fourth industrial revolution; literature review; thematic analysis; smart manufacturing; IoT; internet of things; CPPS; cyber physical production systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTPM.2021.114307

International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management, 2021 Vol.21 No.1, pp.20 - 46

Received: 02 Oct 2019
Accepted: 15 Jan 2020
Published online: 16 Apr 2021 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article