Requirements for the Adoption of Industry 4.0 in the Sustainable Manufacturing Supply Chain

The commencement of Industry 4.0 is dramatically changing the method of working in the manufacturing sector and it is anticipated to lead the way for forthcoming intelligent industries with smart machines and interconnected networks to accomplish higher productivity, profitability, and operations flexibility without affecting the ecosystem and society. The adoption of Industry 4.0 are crucial to achieving sustainable development. This is because the technological developments in Industry 4.0 not merely encourage the sustainable initiatives to increase the financial benefits besides diminishing the impact on the environment and exerting an influence on the development of society nearby. But the Industry 4.0 adoption in the manufacturing sector to limit non-eco-friendly practices have substantial challenges to face. To address the above problem, this chapter attempts to elucidate the dimensions and requirements available from the literature for Industry 4.0 adoption in the manufacturing supply chain. The identified requirements from this chapter were categorized into five dimensions from the context of sustainable, organizational and technological. The requirements identified from this study can assist managers and policymakers for the adoption of Industry 4.0 especially helpful to organizations keen to enhance their sustainability from the aspect of competitive advantage.