Table 1.
Definition of Industry 4.0 technologies adopted in CL context
| Industry 4.0 Technology | Definition | References |
|---|---|---|
| Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Smartphone applications, and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) | Combination of sophisticated technology and innovations in information systems, communication, sensors, controllers, and advanced mathematical methods for accessing, managing, and transmitting information in a digital form within the context of transportation infrastructure. Use of dedicated smartphone applications to place orders and manage the delivery of goods. | Lin et al. 2017; Ahad et al. 2020 |
| Internet of Things (IoT) | Deployment of sensors and devices interconnected through telecommunication networks and Internet-based communication aimed at incrementing product and processes value. | Golpîra et al. 2021; Peraković et al. 2019; Witkowski 2017 |
| Big Data | A very high volume of data characterized by high speed and large variety managed using innovative analytics techniques in order to support decision-making. | Choi et al. 2018; Zhu 2018 |
| Cloud Computing (CC) | Online service enabling the possibility to perform quick and lighter computations instead of setting up a physical infrastructure. It allows a set of computing resources, namely networks, servers, storage, applications, and services, to access to an on-demand, ubiquitous, and useful network. It results in a cost effective and faster solution in terms of operating platforms, software, infrastructures. | Ahad et al. 2020; Bhardwaj et al. 2010; Golpîra et al. 2021 |
| Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Solution deploying sophisticated algorithms and techniques aimed at processing and analysing the high quantities of data generated from machine-to-machine communication in order to derive sense and valuable information. | Ahad et al. 2020; Allam and Dhunny 2019; Bertolini et al. 2021; Paiva et al. 2021 |
| Drones and Autonomous Vehicles | Vehicles able to autonomously and automatically perform precise operations thanks to the implementation of sensing systems. They can move safely with minimum or absent human input. | Baum et al. 2019; Müller et al. 2019; Yu et al. 2021 |
| Blockchain | A digital platform allowing a group of users to securely store and distribute information by creating time-stamped, tamper-proof, and perpetual records. It consists of decentralized ledgers containing transactions as data blocks, linked among each other through a cryptographic pointer. It is characterized by distributed consensus, secure, traceable, verified, and transparent information. |
Bekrar et al. 2021; Kouhizadeh et al. 2021; Mukherjee et al. 2021. |
| Additive Manufacturing (AM) | A set of manufacturing technologies and processes for fabricating a wide range of geometries and structures from digital three-dimensional models by printing successive layers of materials that are formed on top of each other. It allows increased degree of freedom in design, mass customisation, waste minimisation, productions of complex structures, and faster prototyping. | Alogla et al. 2021; Ngo et al. 2018; Zunder et al. 2014 |