Industry 4.0 and the SME: a technology-focused review of the empirical literature

Abstract : The concept of Industry 4.0 has many advantages for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) in relation to other industrial management methods such as Just-In-Time or MRPII. Its adoption can be achieved through the use of many technologies. However, these technologies are not well mastered by SMEs. In order to identify the difficulties encountered by SMEs, this article presents an analysis of the exploitation of the different means of realization of the industry 4.0. From a scientific literature review, we show disparities in the exploitation of different technological group. Among the important elements, we note a sub-consideration of the data generated as a source of added value for SMEs, an under-exploitation of certain means of realization and a lack of expertise in SMEs that slows penetration of certain technological groups. The exploitation of the different technologies is often approached individually and targeted, which leads us to conclude that the concept of industry 4.0 is not approached from the angle of industrial management strategy.