INDUSTRY 4.0 AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. AN ANALYSIS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Abstract

There is some controversy about which are the theoretical bases that allow companies to improve performance when implementing Industry 4.0 production improvement programs. In this paper we compare, using the resource-based view of the firm, the technology-enabled capabilities theory and the knowledge-based view of the company as theoretical frameworks, how the implementation of Industry 4.0 and Japanese philosophy centered improvement programs (TQM, Lean Manufacturing) affect the sources, transfer, and integration of knowledge. Using this theoretical framework, we conclude that both improvement programs have very different strategies in terms of how to manage knowledge, and that, to a large degree, they are complementary. We conclude that they have very different bases of competitive advantage and that there is great potential in their joint implementation for the improvement of production processes. Keyword: Industry 4.0.; Knowledge capabilities; TQM; Lean Manufacturing; Competitive Advantage