The Impact of Industry 4.0 Technologies on Port Resilience: A Review

The consequences of port disruptions on the total supply chain make it imperative for ports to focus more on resilience measures. The current dimensions of port disruptions and the prevailing resilience mechanisms foster more innovative solutions for resilience management. On this ground, the industry 4.0 technologies in ports may play a vital role. This paper aims to conceptualize the impact of industry 4.0 technologies on port resilience. Even though the literature on industry 4.0 technologies in ports or smart ports as well as port disruptions and resilience are very extensive, acknowledgement of the impact of industry 4.0 technologies on port resilience is negligible. A systematic literature search found very little research on some aspects of smart ports and resilience. Based on an initial search review, this paper examines all the domains, for example, port resilience, port disruptions, resilience measures, and smart ports. Based on a snowball approach, it later discusses these domains and conceptualizes the possible impact of smart port technologies on port resilience. This paper aims to provide a holistic view of the interrelationship of all these domains. Furthermore, it discusses the various characteristics of smart ports and how each of these characteristics can impact resilience in ports. A specific focus on cyber resilience is addressed indicating the mutual interdependency of port resilience, smart ports, and cyber resilience. The paper also provides a reference for ports to implement industry 4.0 port technologies and improve their resilience. It also identifies future research needs and potential areas of research.