Towards Industry 4.0: an overview of European strategic roadmaps

TLDR

Recent advances in ICT—such as ubiquitous connectivity, real‑time data, and pervasive information—are reshaping industrial sectors and driving the digital revolution known as Industry 4.0, though the precise scope and application frameworks remain undefined. The study argues that further research is needed to deepen understanding of the drivers and achievements of Industry 4.0. To this end, the authors review major EU industrial guidelines, roadmaps, and scientific literature, tracing how key technologies and concepts have been addressed over time.

Abstract

New achievements in information and communication technologies (ICT) are drastically influencing several industrial sectors. The provision of connectivity, networked entities, real-time data, and pervasive information is shifting paradigms in industries. However, this rapid evolution requires a proper comprehension and definition by scholars and practitioners in order to achieve a broad dissemination of the technological progress. Today, the trend towards a digital revolution in manufacturing is known as “Industry 4.0”. However, the footprint of these evolutions, the technological borders, and the application frameworks are not yet specified. Therefore, the adoption of this paradigm change still requires more research to further develop the knowledge about the drivers and accomplishments of Industry 4.0. Towards this goal, this paper reviews some major EU industrial guidelines, roadmaps, and scientific literature that led to the depiction of the term Industry 4.0, and explores how key technologies and concepts have been addressed over time.