Assessing Industry 4.0 Readiness and Adoption Barriers in Textile Sector: Strategic Insights for Sustainable Industrial Transformation

The <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4^{th}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) signifies a revolutionary change in industrial production driven by digital technologies, and promises exceptional improvements in operational...

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Main Authors: Arshad Mahmood, Muhammad Asif Habib, Mudassar Ahmad, Sajjad Ahmad Baig
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
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Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11072171/
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author Arshad Mahmood
Muhammad Asif Habib
Mudassar Ahmad
Sajjad Ahmad Baig
author_facet Arshad Mahmood
Muhammad Asif Habib
Mudassar Ahmad
Sajjad Ahmad Baig
author_sort Arshad Mahmood
collection DOAJ
description The <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4^{th}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) signifies a revolutionary change in industrial production driven by digital technologies, and promises exceptional improvements in operational efficiency. Multiple studies have shown that the adoption of Industry 4.0 is still in its infancy in developing countries, owing to various barriers, which is a significant area of inquiry for researchers. Due to the newness of this concept, manufacturing industries must first assess their readiness for transitioning to smart manufacturing, guided by the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory, which emphasizes the strategic utilization of resources for successful transformation. In this context, this study has two objectives: first, to assess the current I4.0 readiness of Pakistan&#x2019;s main manufacturing sector, the Textile Industry, and second, to present an overview of the barriers to adoption of I4.0. We employed the IMPULS readiness model developed by the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) in collaboration with the Institute for Industrial Management (FIR) at RWTH Aachen University to assess current readiness. For the second objective, a systematic literature review approach was used to identify potential barriers. The identified barriers were later validated via surveys with Technical Directors, IT experts, and Industrial Automation Engineers from Pakistan&#x2019;s textile sector. Data from the 106 textile units were collected online to assess the current I4.0 readiness. The results categorized firms into leaders, learners, and newcomers, detailing readiness scores across Industry 4.0. The findings, aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), guide stakeholders, including textile industry leaders, academic institutions, and policymakers, in prioritizing decisions and investments for advancing digital transformation for operational efficiency, competitive advantage, and sustainable industrial progress in the global markets.
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spelling doaj-art-ba93190018ed45e991e2e98e03c68bab2025-08-20T03:51:29ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-011312269812272510.1109/ACCESS.2025.358632611072171Assessing Industry 4.0 Readiness and Adoption Barriers in Textile Sector: Strategic Insights for Sustainable Industrial TransformationArshad Mahmood0https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6152-465XMuhammad Asif Habib1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2675-1975Mudassar Ahmad2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6366-8230Sajjad Ahmad Baig3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7569-5383Faisalabad Business School (FBS), National Textile University (NTU), Faisalabad, PakistanCollege of Computer and Information Sciences, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Computer Science (DCS), National Textile University (NTU), Faisalabad, PakistanFaisalabad Business School (FBS), National Textile University (NTU), Faisalabad, PakistanThe <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4^{th}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) signifies a revolutionary change in industrial production driven by digital technologies, and promises exceptional improvements in operational efficiency. Multiple studies have shown that the adoption of Industry 4.0 is still in its infancy in developing countries, owing to various barriers, which is a significant area of inquiry for researchers. Due to the newness of this concept, manufacturing industries must first assess their readiness for transitioning to smart manufacturing, guided by the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory, which emphasizes the strategic utilization of resources for successful transformation. In this context, this study has two objectives: first, to assess the current I4.0 readiness of Pakistan&#x2019;s main manufacturing sector, the Textile Industry, and second, to present an overview of the barriers to adoption of I4.0. We employed the IMPULS readiness model developed by the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) in collaboration with the Institute for Industrial Management (FIR) at RWTH Aachen University to assess current readiness. For the second objective, a systematic literature review approach was used to identify potential barriers. The identified barriers were later validated via surveys with Technical Directors, IT experts, and Industrial Automation Engineers from Pakistan&#x2019;s textile sector. Data from the 106 textile units were collected online to assess the current I4.0 readiness. The results categorized firms into leaders, learners, and newcomers, detailing readiness scores across Industry 4.0. The findings, aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), guide stakeholders, including textile industry leaders, academic institutions, and policymakers, in prioritizing decisions and investments for advancing digital transformation for operational efficiency, competitive advantage, and sustainable industrial progress in the global markets.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11072171/Barriers to adoption Industry 4.0competitive advantagecurrent readinessdigital transformationIMPULS modelIndustry 4.0
spellingShingle Arshad Mahmood
Muhammad Asif Habib
Mudassar Ahmad
Sajjad Ahmad Baig
Assessing Industry 4.0 Readiness and Adoption Barriers in Textile Sector: Strategic Insights for Sustainable Industrial Transformation
IEEE Access
Barriers to adoption Industry 4.0
competitive advantage
current readiness
digital transformation
IMPULS model
Industry 4.0
title Assessing Industry 4.0 Readiness and Adoption Barriers in Textile Sector: Strategic Insights for Sustainable Industrial Transformation
title_full Assessing Industry 4.0 Readiness and Adoption Barriers in Textile Sector: Strategic Insights for Sustainable Industrial Transformation
title_fullStr Assessing Industry 4.0 Readiness and Adoption Barriers in Textile Sector: Strategic Insights for Sustainable Industrial Transformation
title_full_unstemmed Assessing Industry 4.0 Readiness and Adoption Barriers in Textile Sector: Strategic Insights for Sustainable Industrial Transformation
title_short Assessing Industry 4.0 Readiness and Adoption Barriers in Textile Sector: Strategic Insights for Sustainable Industrial Transformation
title_sort assessing industry 4 0 readiness and adoption barriers in textile sector strategic insights for sustainable industrial transformation
topic Barriers to adoption Industry 4.0
competitive advantage
current readiness
digital transformation
IMPULS model
Industry 4.0
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11072171/
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AT mudassarahmad assessingindustry40readinessandadoptionbarriersintextilesectorstrategicinsightsforsustainableindustrialtransformation
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