Industry 4.0 technologies: critical success factors for implementation and improvements in manufacturing companies
通过对意大利八家制造企业实施工业4.0技术的案例研究，识别出持续改进、质量与灵活性竞争、高层领导等关键成功因素，并区分了渐进式与激进式业务改进的路径。
The impact of Industry 4.0 and its opportunities are expected to be significant for manufacturers. A lack of empirical studies creates the need for academic contributions on the critical success factors of Industry 4.0 implementations and their resultant improvements for manufacturing businesses. This research uses case studies of eight implementations of Industry 4.0 technologies in Italy to supplement existent literature. An original data set was constructed using a purposely defined research protocol using plant visits and structured interviews. Continuous improvement/lean management emerged as a critical success factor for implementation, together with quality and flexibility-based competition, top management leadership, establishment of inter-functional teams, conducting of preparatory activities, project planning and training activities. Incremental/evolutionary and radical/revolutionary improvements in business model elements are possible outcomes of implementations, while addressing customers’ needs emerges as an antecedent to radical/revolutionary improvements. Managers will benefit from understanding how to achieve successful implementations and business improvements.