A Thematic Review of the Literature Pertaining to Industry 4.0 Implementation in Manufacturing MSMEs

This article applies a systematic literature review approach to identify the dominant research themes in the literature on ‘Industry 4.0 adoption in manufacturing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs)’. The review identifies six thematic areas: (a) barriers and enablers, (b) readiness and maturity models, (c) implementation frameworks, (d) technology applicability, (e) problem-specific applications and (f) impacts of technology adoption. The review highlights the preference of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in implementing low-cost solutions to address immediate operational challenges. These pragmatic experimentations of MSMEs often generate immediate economic and organizational benefits. However, the broader social and environmental outcomes are scantly reported. The study links the themes to established theories and highlights the need for more theory-driven, longitudinal and comparative research. By consolidating dispersed insights into a coherent framework, the review advances understanding of MSME digital transformation and outlines directions for future research, practice and policy.