The technological and non-technological elements of Industry 4.0: a bibliometric study and a theoretical model

Wagner Santos Guedin and Pedro Henrique Rodrigues de Sousa

International Journal of Business Forecasting and Marketing Intelligence, 2026, vol. 11, issue 3, 251-267

Abstract: This research aims to review the fundamentals of Industry 4.0, its interface with technological and non-technological elements and investigate gaps in the research of Culot et al. (2020): current definitional ambiguity; the defining dimensions and sub-dimensions that characterise Industry 4.0 in technological and non-technological aspects; identification of the foundations of Industry 4.0. To respond to these gaps, we opted for a historical analysis through qualitative research, using bibliographic research as a method of analysing scientific production in the period from 2018 to 2023. Two-hundred forty-eight scientific articles were selected and analysed. As the main evidence of this bibliographical review, Germany's leading role in research, development of public policies and the vanguardism of companies and organisations stands out; the movement of Chinese and South Korean industry; the description of the elements of Industry 4.0; and the presentation of a theoretical model with 18 reference descriptive attributes for Industry 4.0.

Keywords: Industry 4.0; Fourth Industrial Revolution; elements; attributes; historical-integrative review. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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