Industry 4.0: Emerging themes and future research avenues using a text mining approach

The existing literature provides a ‘piecemeal’ approach to our understanding of Industry 4.0 as a ‘technological revolution’. However, such an approach leads to scattered literature and the possibility (or risk) that the focus could spin out of control in terms of the existing themes and future research trends. Consequently, the aim of this research is twofold: (i) to identify the main overarching themes discussed in the past and track their evolution over time, and (ii) propose a future research agenda for each overarching theme that considers the multidisciplinary nature of research efforts made on the topic. To reach the first objective, a method based on text mining was implemented. To reach the second one, a review based on recent and relevant paper was made for each overarching theme. Text mining suggests four overarching themes: (i) business, (ii) operations, (iii) technological solutions and (iv) work and skills. ‘Business’ includes studies that investigate the impact of Industry 4.0 on business perspectives and they suggest that governments and industries have a change in manufacturing perspective and attempt to benefit from this industrial revolution wave. ‘Operations’ includes studies investigating the impact of Industry 4.0 new technologies on production, logistics, and supply-chain processes. Manuscripts belonging to ‘Technological solutions’ discuss technological solutions at the core of Industry 4.0. ‘Work and skills’ stream of literature attempts to under the human element lurking behind the scene of Industry 4.0 regarding opportunities and implications. Finally, the paper suggests a future research agenda for each overarching theme, thus paving the way for new research on the topic.