Industry 4.0, transition or addition in SMEs? A systematic literature review on digitalization for deviation management

Nowadays, Industry 4.0 (I4.0) has become a trendy topic in manufacturing industries worldwide. The definition is far from being comprehensible for small players, and the practical uptake is ambiguous. Transnational companies are often at the top in deploying I4.0 features, learning primarily from their experimentation. Alternatively, small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), given their less stable value chains and unsteady processes, tend to target most of their efforts on controlling disturbances and adopting solutions for deviation control. Such solutions can be features that set the path for SMEs to transition to I4.0. This paper aims to examine the reported degree of digitalization in implemented solutions in SMEs when handling deviations and analyze the integration of such solutions in their digital transformation process. Systematic literature review (SLR) is used to examine literature published up to and including January 2019. The results show a higher concentration on practical applications rather than on frameworks. Existing frameworks that focus on SMEs address particular elements of I4.0 rather than a gradual shift with a holistic view, increasing the deployment difficulty for SMEs. This paper identifies potential constraints in deployment if such a trend maintains for consecutive years.