Considering Industry 4.0 aspects in the supply chain for an SME

Industry 4.0 is a buzzword in current research and in the manufacturing environment. However, despite this limited research has focused on how a company can determine the likely benefits of Industry 4.0 technologies and its influence on the supply chain. Additionally, the aspect of customer experience is gaining significant importance in the new Industry 4.0 supply chain. There is a research gap in implementation strategies of Industry 4.0 concepts for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper addresses this gap through an in-depth case study of an SME and highlights how the company can develop competitive advantage. First, a framework was developed to determine the realization of Industry 4.0 predicted benefits for SMEs, which was tested in a case company. Based on input from the case the five-step framework for Industry 4.0 realization is adjusted. It enables practitioners to determine the actual status for their company towards Industry 4.0 realization and thereby functions as a guide for further implementation strategies.