Assessing the barriers to Industry 4.0 implementation from a workers' perspective

J.M. Müller

doi:10.1016/j.ifacol.2019.11.530

Assessing the barriers to Industry 4.0 implementation from a workers' perspective

J.M. Müller

Business and Tourism

Research output: Contribution to journal › Conference article › peer-review

Abstract

Industry 4.0 aims to generate not only economic, but also ecological and social benefits. So far, the majority of scientific papers has dealt with technological foundations or showcases within the concept, whereas economic, and especially ecological and social aspects have been considered less, but are of high importance, as particularly social concerns hamper Industry 4.0 implementation. This includes, among other factors, workers' fears to be replaced by machines, especially relating to low shilled jobs or repetitive tasks. Further, distrust in new technologies or lacking skills of employees can be named. This paper aims to contribute to this topic by interviewing 41representatives of a German manufacturing plant in order to identify concerns hampering Industry 4.0 implementation. The paper presents concerns regarding Industry 4.0 implementation and several reasons behind the barriers named, for instance employee acceptance that mostly relating to fears to be replaced, lacking support and lacking competencies.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2189-2194
Number of pages	6
Journal	IFAC-PapersOnLine
Volume	52
Issue number	13
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2019.11.530
Publication status	Published - 2019
Event	9th IFAC Conference on Manufacturing Modelling, Management and Control, MIM 2019 - Berlin, Germany Duration: 28 Aug 2019 → 30 Aug 2019

Keywords

Case study
Industrial Internet of Things
Industry 4.0
Social dimension
Worker perspective
Ecology
Industrial internet of things (IIoT)
Personnel
Social aspects
German manufacturing
Repetitive task
Scientific papers
Social benefits
Social concerns
Social dimensions
Workers'
Industrial economics

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10.1016/j.ifacol.2019.11.530

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85078905781&doi=10.1016%2fj.ifacol.2019.11.530&partnerID=40&md5=13f11a74f89b0f10674f54c4671e3117

Cite this

@article{d720a8e833514ac19f74f05042dca1d6,

title = "Assessing the barriers to Industry 4.0 implementation from a workers' perspective",

abstract = "Industry 4.0 aims to generate not only economic, but also ecological and social benefits. So far, the majority of scientific papers has dealt with technological foundations or showcases within the concept, whereas economic, and especially ecological and social aspects have been considered less, but are of high importance, as particularly social concerns hamper Industry 4.0 implementation. This includes, among other factors, workers' fears to be replaced by machines, especially relating to low shilled jobs or repetitive tasks. Further, distrust in new technologies or lacking skills of employees can be named. This paper aims to contribute to this topic by interviewing 41representatives of a German manufacturing plant in order to identify concerns hampering Industry 4.0 implementation. The paper presents concerns regarding Industry 4.0 implementation and several reasons behind the barriers named, for instance employee acceptance that mostly relating to fears to be replaced, lacking support and lacking competencies.",

keywords = "Case study, Industrial Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, Social dimension, Worker perspective, Ecology, Industrial internet of things (IIoT), Personnel, Social aspects, German manufacturing, Repetitive task, Scientific papers, Social benefits, Social concerns, Social dimensions, Workers', Industrial economics",

author = "J.M. M{\"u}ller",

note = "Conference code: 156996 Cited By :64 Export Date: 14 December 2023 Correspondence Address: M{\"u}ller, J.M.; Salzburg University of Applied SciencesAustria; email: [email protected] References: Birkel, H.S., Veile, J.W., M{\"u}ller, J.M., Hartmann, E., Voigt, K.I., Development of a risk framework for industry 4.0 in the context of sustainability for established manufacturers (2019) Sustainability, 11 (2), p. 384; Bresnahan, T., Trajtenberg, M., General purpose technologies {\textquoteleft}Engines of growth'? (1995) Journal of Econometrics, 65 (1), pp. 83-108; Bonekamp, L., Sure, M., Consequences of industry 4.0 on human labour and work organisation (2015) Journal of Business and Media Psychology, 6 (1), pp. 33-40; Davies, R., Coole, T., Smith, A., Review of sociotechnical considerations to ensure successful implementation of Industry 4.0 (2017) Procedia Manufacturing, 11, pp. 1288-1295; Dub{\'e}, L., Par{\'e}, G., Rigor in information systems positivist case research: Current practices, trends, and recommendations (2003) MIS Quarterly, 8 (4), pp. 597-636; Edmondson, A., McManus, S., Methodological fit in management field research (2007) Academy of Management Review, 32 (4), pp. 1246-1264; Eisenhardt, K., Graebner, M., Theory building from cases: Opportunities and challenges (2007) Academy of Management Journal, 50 (1), pp. 25-32; Gabriel, M., Pessel, E., Industry 4.0 and sustainability impacts: Critical discussion of sustainability aspects with a special focus on future of work and ecological consequences (2016) Annals of Faculty Engineering Hunedoara - International Journal of Engineering, 1 (16), pp. 131-136; Gibbert, M., Ruigrok, W., Wicki, B., What passes as a rigorous case study? (2008) Strategic Management Journal, 29 (13), pp. 1465-1474; Herrmann, C., Schmidt, C., Kurle, D., Blume, S., Thiede, S., Sustainability in manufacturing and factories of the future (2014) International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing - Green Technology, 1 (4), pp. 283-292; Holsti, O.R., (1969) Content Analysis for the Social Sciences and Humanities, , Addison-Wesley: Reading; Huber, G., Power, D., Retrospective reports of strategic-level managers: Guidelines for increasing their accuracy (1985) Strategic Management Journal, 6 (2), pp. 171-180; Ivanov, D., Sokolov, B., Ivanova, M., Schedule coordination in cyber-physical supply networks Industry 4.0 (2016) IFAC-PapersOnLine, 49 (12), pp. 839-844; Kagermann, H., Wahlster, W., Helbig, J., (2013) Recommendations for Implementing the Strategic Initiative Industrie 4.0 - Final Report of the Industrie 4.0 Working Group, , Communication Promoters Group of the Industry-Science Research; Kamble, S.S., Gunasekaran, A., Sharma, R., Analysis of the driving and dependence power of barriers to adopt industry 4.0 in Indian manufacturing industry (2018) Computers in Industry, 101, pp. 107-119; Kiel, D., M{\"u}ller, J.M., Arnold, C., Voigt, K.-I., Sustainable industrial value creation: Benefits and challenges of industry 4.0 (2017) International Journal of Innovation Management, 21, p. 8; Lasi, H., Kemper, H., Fettke, P., Feld, T., Hoffmann, M., Industry 4.0 (2014) Business and Information Systems Engineering, 6 (4), pp. 239-242; Miles, M., Huberman, M., (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis, , Sage, Thousand Oaks; M{\"u}ller, J.M., Business model innovation in small- And medium-sized enterprises: Strategies for industry 4.0 providers and users (2019) Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, , press, available online; M{\"u}ller, J.M., Antecedents to digital platform usage in industry 4.0 by established manufacturers (2019) Sustainability, 11 (4), p. 1121; M{\"u}ller, J.M., Buliga, O., Voigt, K.-I., Fortune favors the prepared: How SMEs approach business model innovations in Industry 4.0 (2018) Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 132, pp. 2-17; M{\"u}ller, J.M., Kiel, D., Voigt, K.I., What drives the implementation of industry 4.0? The role of opportunities and challenges in the context of sustainability (2018) Sustainability, 10, p. 1; M{\"u}ller, J.M., Maier, L., Veile, J., Voigt, K.I., Cooperation strategies among SMEs for implementing Industry 4.0 (2017) Proceedings of the Hamburg International Conference of Logistics (HICL), pp. 301-318. , epubli; M{\"u}ller, J.M., Voigt, K.I., Sustainable industrial value creation in SMEs: A comparison between industry 4.0 and made in China 2025 (2018) International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology, 5 (5), pp. 659-670; Peukert, B., Benecke, S., Clavell, J., Neugebauer, S., Nissen, N.F., Uhlmann, E., Addressing sustainability and flexibility in manufacturing via smart modular machine tool frames to support sustainable value creation (2015) Procedia CIRP, 29, pp. 514-519; Schlechtendahl, J., Keinert, M., Kretschmer, F., Lechler, A., Verl, A., Making existing production systems Industry 4.0-ready (2015) Production Engineering, 9 (1), pp. 143-148; Stock, T., Seliger, G., Opportunities of sustainable manufacturing in industry 4.0 (2016) Procedia CIRP, 40, pp. 536-541; Veza, I., Mladineo, M., Gjeldum, N., Managing innovative production network of smart factories (2015) IFAC-PapersOnLine, 48 (3), pp. 555-560; Yin, R., (2009) Case Study Research: Design and Methods, , Sage, Thousand Oaks; Zezulka, F., Marcon, P., Vesely, I., Sajdl, O., Industry 4.0-An Introduction in the phenomenon (2016) IFAC-PapersOnLine, 49 (25), pp. 8-12; 9th IFAC Conference on Manufacturing Modelling, Management and Control, MIM 2019, MIM 2019 ; Conference date: 28-08-2019 Through 30-08-2019",

year = "2019",

doi = "10.1016/j.ifacol.2019.11.530",

language = "English",

volume = "52",

pages = "2189--2194",

journal = "IFAC-PapersOnLine",

issn = "2405-8963",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

number = "13",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Assessing the barriers to Industry 4.0 implementation from a workers' perspective

AU - Müller, J.M.

N1 - Conference code: 156996 Cited By :64 Export Date: 14 December 2023 Correspondence Address: Müller, J.M.; Salzburg University of Applied SciencesAustria; email: [email protected] References: Birkel, H.S., Veile, J.W., Müller, J.M., Hartmann, E., Voigt, K.I., Development of a risk framework for industry 4.0 in the context of sustainability for established manufacturers (2019) Sustainability, 11 (2), p. 384; Bresnahan, T., Trajtenberg, M., General purpose technologies ‘Engines of growth'? (1995) Journal of Econometrics, 65 (1), pp. 83-108; Bonekamp, L., Sure, M., Consequences of industry 4.0 on human labour and work organisation (2015) Journal of Business and Media Psychology, 6 (1), pp. 33-40; Davies, R., Coole, T., Smith, A., Review of sociotechnical considerations to ensure successful implementation of Industry 4.0 (2017) Procedia Manufacturing, 11, pp. 1288-1295; Dubé, L., Paré, G., Rigor in information systems positivist case research: Current practices, trends, and recommendations (2003) MIS Quarterly, 8 (4), pp. 597-636; Edmondson, A., McManus, S., Methodological fit in management field research (2007) Academy of Management Review, 32 (4), pp. 1246-1264; Eisenhardt, K., Graebner, M., Theory building from cases: Opportunities and challenges (2007) Academy of Management Journal, 50 (1), pp. 25-32; Gabriel, M., Pessel, E., Industry 4.0 and sustainability impacts: Critical discussion of sustainability aspects with a special focus on future of work and ecological consequences (2016) Annals of Faculty Engineering Hunedoara - International Journal of Engineering, 1 (16), pp. 131-136; Gibbert, M., Ruigrok, W., Wicki, B., What passes as a rigorous case study? (2008) Strategic Management Journal, 29 (13), pp. 1465-1474; Herrmann, C., Schmidt, C., Kurle, D., Blume, S., Thiede, S., Sustainability in manufacturing and factories of the future (2014) International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing - Green Technology, 1 (4), pp. 283-292; Holsti, O.R., (1969) Content Analysis for the Social Sciences and Humanities, , Addison-Wesley: Reading; Huber, G., Power, D., Retrospective reports of strategic-level managers: Guidelines for increasing their accuracy (1985) Strategic Management Journal, 6 (2), pp. 171-180; Ivanov, D., Sokolov, B., Ivanova, M., Schedule coordination in cyber-physical supply networks Industry 4.0 (2016) IFAC-PapersOnLine, 49 (12), pp. 839-844; Kagermann, H., Wahlster, W., Helbig, J., (2013) Recommendations for Implementing the Strategic Initiative Industrie 4.0 - Final Report of the Industrie 4.0 Working Group, , Communication Promoters Group of the Industry-Science Research; Kamble, S.S., Gunasekaran, A., Sharma, R., Analysis of the driving and dependence power of barriers to adopt industry 4.0 in Indian manufacturing industry (2018) Computers in Industry, 101, pp. 107-119; Kiel, D., Müller, J.M., Arnold, C., Voigt, K.-I., Sustainable industrial value creation: Benefits and challenges of industry 4.0 (2017) International Journal of Innovation Management, 21, p. 8; Lasi, H., Kemper, H., Fettke, P., Feld, T., Hoffmann, M., Industry 4.0 (2014) Business and Information Systems Engineering, 6 (4), pp. 239-242; Miles, M., Huberman, M., (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis, , Sage, Thousand Oaks; Müller, J.M., Business model innovation in small- And medium-sized enterprises: Strategies for industry 4.0 providers and users (2019) Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, , press, available online; Müller, J.M., Antecedents to digital platform usage in industry 4.0 by established manufacturers (2019) Sustainability, 11 (4), p. 1121; Müller, J.M., Buliga, O., Voigt, K.-I., Fortune favors the prepared: How SMEs approach business model innovations in Industry 4.0 (2018) Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 132, pp. 2-17; Müller, J.M., Kiel, D., Voigt, K.I., What drives the implementation of industry 4.0? The role of opportunities and challenges in the context of sustainability (2018) Sustainability, 10, p. 1; Müller, J.M., Maier, L., Veile, J., Voigt, K.I., Cooperation strategies among SMEs for implementing Industry 4.0 (2017) Proceedings of the Hamburg International Conference of Logistics (HICL), pp. 301-318. , epubli; Müller, J.M., Voigt, K.I., Sustainable industrial value creation in SMEs: A comparison between industry 4.0 and made in China 2025 (2018) International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology, 5 (5), pp. 659-670; Peukert, B., Benecke, S., Clavell, J., Neugebauer, S., Nissen, N.F., Uhlmann, E., Addressing sustainability and flexibility in manufacturing via smart modular machine tool frames to support sustainable value creation (2015) Procedia CIRP, 29, pp. 514-519; Schlechtendahl, J., Keinert, M., Kretschmer, F., Lechler, A., Verl, A., Making existing production systems Industry 4.0-ready (2015) Production Engineering, 9 (1), pp. 143-148; Stock, T., Seliger, G., Opportunities of sustainable manufacturing in industry 4.0 (2016) Procedia CIRP, 40, pp. 536-541; Veza, I., Mladineo, M., Gjeldum, N., Managing innovative production network of smart factories (2015) IFAC-PapersOnLine, 48 (3), pp. 555-560; Yin, R., (2009) Case Study Research: Design and Methods, , Sage, Thousand Oaks; Zezulka, F., Marcon, P., Vesely, I., Sajdl, O., Industry 4.0-An Introduction in the phenomenon (2016) IFAC-PapersOnLine, 49 (25), pp. 8-12

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Industry 4.0 aims to generate not only economic, but also ecological and social benefits. So far, the majority of scientific papers has dealt with technological foundations or showcases within the concept, whereas economic, and especially ecological and social aspects have been considered less, but are of high importance, as particularly social concerns hamper Industry 4.0 implementation. This includes, among other factors, workers' fears to be replaced by machines, especially relating to low shilled jobs or repetitive tasks. Further, distrust in new technologies or lacking skills of employees can be named. This paper aims to contribute to this topic by interviewing 41representatives of a German manufacturing plant in order to identify concerns hampering Industry 4.0 implementation. The paper presents concerns regarding Industry 4.0 implementation and several reasons behind the barriers named, for instance employee acceptance that mostly relating to fears to be replaced, lacking support and lacking competencies.

AB - Industry 4.0 aims to generate not only economic, but also ecological and social benefits. So far, the majority of scientific papers has dealt with technological foundations or showcases within the concept, whereas economic, and especially ecological and social aspects have been considered less, but are of high importance, as particularly social concerns hamper Industry 4.0 implementation. This includes, among other factors, workers' fears to be replaced by machines, especially relating to low shilled jobs or repetitive tasks. Further, distrust in new technologies or lacking skills of employees can be named. This paper aims to contribute to this topic by interviewing 41representatives of a German manufacturing plant in order to identify concerns hampering Industry 4.0 implementation. The paper presents concerns regarding Industry 4.0 implementation and several reasons behind the barriers named, for instance employee acceptance that mostly relating to fears to be replaced, lacking support and lacking competencies.

KW - Case study

KW - Industrial Internet of Things

KW - Industry 4.0

KW - Social dimension

KW - Worker perspective

KW - Ecology

KW - Industrial internet of things (IIoT)

KW - Personnel

KW - Social aspects

KW - German manufacturing

KW - Repetitive task

KW - Scientific papers

KW - Social benefits

KW - Social concerns

KW - Social dimensions

KW - Workers'

KW - Industrial economics

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U2 - 10.1016/j.ifacol.2019.11.530

DO - 10.1016/j.ifacol.2019.11.530

M3 - Conference article

SN - 2405-8963

VL - 52

SP - 2189

EP - 2194

JO - IFAC-PapersOnLine

JF - IFAC-PapersOnLine

IS - 13

T2 - 9th IFAC Conference on Manufacturing Modelling, Management and Control, MIM 2019

Y2 - 28 August 2019 through 30 August 2019

ER -

Assessing the barriers to Industry 4.0 implementation from a workers' perspective

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Keywords

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