Industry 4.0 implementation: The relevance of sustainability and the potential social impact in a developing country
This study expands the technical approach that dominates the academic literature on Industry 4.0, identifying relevant benefits and challenges for its implementation process, assessing the relevance of sustainability in Industry 4.0 and analyzing its potential social impact in a developing country....
Saved in:
| Published in: | Journal of cleaner production Vol. 337; p. 130456 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier Ltd
20-02-2022
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | This study expands the technical approach that dominates the academic literature on Industry 4.0, identifying relevant benefits and challenges for its implementation process, assessing the relevance of sustainability in Industry 4.0 and analyzing its potential social impact in a developing country. Using a survey-based methodology, specialists on Industry 4.0 from multinationals and national companies in the manufacturing sector in Brazil were consulted. The results showed that the increase in the global competitiveness of the companies and the improvement in the quality of the production lines were the most expected benefits; and the difficulty in changing the organizational culture, the high investments and the difficulty in hiring/training people in digital technology were the most cited challenges. Sustainability was considered strategically secondary, with its social dimension little considered. The implication of this study is to draw attention to the problem of unemployment generated by the implementation of Industry 4.0 and the potential social impacts on local society. The originality and theoretical contribution are to encourage researchers and civil society to contribute with theory and practice to the social dimension of sustainability in Industry 4.0, seeking to prevent the aggravation of social inequalities.
•Industry 4.0 is expected to increase competitiveness.•Improving the quality of the production lines is another benefit of Industry 4.0•High investments and difficulty in changing the organizational culture are challenges.•Sustainability is considered secondary in Industry 4.0, not one of its main focus.•There is a lack of research in the social dimension of Industry 4.0 |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0959-6526 1879-1786 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130456 |