Analysis of Industry 4.0 Barriers: A Fuzzy DEMANTEL Approach

The fourth Industrial Revolution (4th IR) i.e., Industry 4.0 features the deployment of extensive automation in the form of smart factories and smart machines facilitating improved information and data flows across the value chains. It facilitates the integration of intelligent digital technologies into the production processes for enhanced productivity, efficiency, flexibility, quality, transparency, intelligent decision making, and customization. Consequently, research has been embarked on studying the main elements of the 4th IR i.e., technology pillars (Autonomous Robots/Advanced Robotics, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality, Smart Sensors, Big Data Analytics/Machine Learning, Cloud Computing/Cognitive Computing/Edge Computing, Additive Manufacturing etc.), role of people within the highly automated environments, level of mass personalization/adaptability, sustainability performance, and the economic prospects. In this pursuit, a few studies also concentrated on listing common challenges associated with Industry 4.0 deployment within Manufacturing Systems. Nonetheless, a dearth of research is observed with regards to listing, comprehensive analysis, and prioritization of barriers towards the implementation of the 4th IR within small to medium-sized enterprises. Hence, this study aims at identifying and prioritizing an exhaustive set of barriers for successful deployment of Industry 4.0 within Manufacturing Systems through Fuzzy DEMANTEL Analysis towards making the manufacturing processes more intelligent, efficient, and precise.