Barriers and Enablers for the Integration of Industry 4.0 and Sustainability in Supply Chains of MSMEs

Eduardo Machado, Luiz Felipe Scavarda, Rodrigo Goyannes Gusmão Caiado and Antonio Márcio Tavares Thomé
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Eduardo Machado: Industrial Engineering Department, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro 22541-041, Brazil
Luiz Felipe Scavarda: Industrial Engineering Department, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro 22541-041, Brazil
Rodrigo Goyannes Gusmão Caiado: Industrial Engineering Department, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro 22541-041, Brazil
Antonio Márcio Tavares Thomé: Industrial Engineering Department, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro 22541-041, Brazil

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-31

Abstract: The integration of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and sustainability in supply chains emerged as a relevant topic and, therefore, has attracted the interest of academics and practitioners. Many barriers challenge this integration, and enablers to overcome these barriers need to be understood. Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have many difficulties to overcome these barriers and successfully implement this integration. Moreover, solutions for larger enterprises do not necessarily fit MSMEs, which reinforces the need to investigate the topic further. Within this context, the goals of this paper are: (i) to identify the main barriers and enablers to integrate I4.0 and sustainability in supply chains of MSMEs and (ii) to analyze the influence among these barriers and enablers, identifying the most prominent ones. A convergent parallel multimethod approach is adopted, first embracing a scoping review to identify main barriers, enablers, and associated categories. Then, conducting a panel of experts with 25 specialists in two rounds to refine and classify the identified barriers and enablers towards the perspective of MSMEs. Finally, two focus group discussions are added using the fuzzy logic and DEMATEL methods to obtain the inter-relationship of barriers and enablers for MSMEs. Research findings reveal eight barriers, eight enablers, and their respective cause-effect relationship, which are expected to help MSMEs managers and decision-makers better understand and implement the integration between I4.0 and sustainability in their supply chains. Results are discussed in eleven research propositions and four propositions for practitioners and policymakers.

Keywords: digital transformation; sustainable operations and supply chain management; triple bottom line; developing countries; scoping review; panel of experts; fuzzy-DEMATEL (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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