Industry 4.0 Deciphered: Mapping Key Technologies Adoption in Industry

In recent years, the world's industrial environment has changed dramatically due to continuous technological development and innovation in manufacturing processes. Manufacturers are incorporating new technologies into their production facilities and their operations to facilitate real-time decision-making, enhanced productivity, flexibility and agility. The idea to empower the manufacturing sector through digitization, Industry 4.0 (I4.0), emerged at the German Hannover Fair in 2011 and has received added attention in academic literature but does not yet have a clear definition. I4.0 is still in the early stages and continues to expand quickly. It has the potential to impact product design, manufacturing, delivery and payment processes. Despite its growing importance, I4.0 is still not widely understood and is not yet well-established in practice, making it challenging for businesses to adequately plan its adoption. Thus, a literature review is made to comprehend the I4.0 technologies and their adoption patterns across different industries. A conceptual framework is designed, based on a grouping criterion, to facilitate an indepth analysis of the relationship between the I4.0 technologies and their adoption in the supply chain. The paper also addresses the reasons why some technologies have a low adoption rate, identifies gaps in the literature reviewed, and suggests new avenues for future research.