ABSTRACT
Industry 4.0, internationally known as the Industrial Internet of Things, is expected to transform industrial value creation and bring several benefits to industrial value chains. While extant research emphasizes technological perspectives on the concept, research on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remains comparably scarce. However, due to their importance to industrial value chains, an integration of SMEs within Industry 4.0 is of prime importance in order to enable horizontal interconnection and information exchange across the supply chain. In order to further develop the research gap on SMEs in the context of Industry 4.0, this chapter conducts a systematic literature reviews on research clusters that already addressed this topic. Four research clusters are identified, of which three stem from Europe. While research based on expert interviews, literature reviews, and case studies is dominant, quantitative approaches or such that allow generalizability or comparison across industries and industry sectors remain scarce. Thereupon, the chapter develops recommendations for practice and further research in the field of Industry 4.0 and SMEs.
