Industry 4.0 in the Perspective of Supply Chain Management: Evolution and Future Research Agenda

Abstract

With the rise of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), there has been a shift from traditional to digital ways of running businesses by bringing the real and virtual worlds together. This study examines I4.0 literature in Supply chain management (SCM) over the last five years, finds essential research areas and gaps, and suggests a roadmap of new possibilities and opportunities for further research. First, a performance analysis was undertaken in which the most relevant or productive authors, leading journals, and top countries were examined. Second, a science mapping analysis involving citation, co-citation, and keyword analysis was conducted. Third, a thematic analysis was performed in which numerous themes were discussed in the direction of I4.0 in SCM. The authors examined 260 research publications published during the last five years. The authors used the R package bibliometrix, biblioshiny application, and the Vosviewer to visualize the structure of over 19,000 different references. Finally, the paper suggests a framework for implementing I4.0 in the supply chain (SC). The outcome of this study will help academic scholars, industry practitioners and engineering managers to identify significant themes and areas and implement I4.0 standards in SCM.