Industry 4.0 Adoption in Malaysian Halal Food Manufacturing: Opportunities, Challenges and Future Research for Strengthening Halal Tourism Competitiveness

HRMARS - Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) is reshaping manufacturing systems through digital integration, automation, and real-time data analytics, with significant implications for halal food manufacturing in Malaysia. However, existing studies largely examine IR4.0 adoption in general manufacturing contexts, leaving limited integration of halal compliance requirements and the linkage to halal tourism competitiveness. This review paper aims to synthesize literature on IR4.0 adoption in Malaysian halal food manufacturing by identifying opportunities, challenges, and future research directions, while explicitly connecting these insights to halal tourism development. Using a structured narrative literature review approach, relevant theoretical and empirical studies were analyzed and categorized based on opportunities, barriers, and research gaps. The review highlights opportunities in digital traceability, smart monitoring, productivity enhancement, and tourism-linked trust building, alongside challenges related to cost, legacy integration, workforce readiness, compliance complexity, and policy awareness. Future research should focus on halal-centered digital architectures, longitudinal adoption pathways, policy effectiveness, and tourism-driven environmental pressures.