Industry 4.0 implementation: The relevance of sustainability and the potential social impact in a developing country

This study expands the technical approach that dominates the academic literature on Industry 4.0, identifying relevant benefits and challenges for its implementation process, assessing the relevance of sustainability in Industry 4.0 and analyzing its potential social impact in a developing country. Using a survey-based methodology, specialists on Industry 4.0 from multinationals and national companies in the manufacturing sector in Brazil were consulted. The results showed that the increase in the global competitiveness of the companies and the improvement in the quality of the production lines were the most expected benefits; and the difficulty in changing the organizational culture, the high investments and the difficulty in hiring/training people in digital technology were the most cited challenges. Sustainability was considered strategically secondary, with its social dimension little considered. The implication of this study is to draw attention to the problem of unemployment generated by the implementation of Industry 4.0 and the potential social impacts on local society. The originality and theoretical contribution are to encourage researchers and civil society to contribute with theory and practice to the social dimension of sustainability in Industry 4.0, seeking to prevent the aggravation of social inequalities.