Keywords
SMEs
manufacturing sector
Digitalization
technology adoption
How to Cite
Abstract
The manufacturing sector in the municipality of Duitama, Boyacá, currently faces significant limitations stemming from increasing globalization. This global pressure is prompting various companies within the subsector to consider integrating Industry 4.0 tools. However, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often encounter difficulties in transitioning to the comprehensive suite of tools inherent to this new technological era. This challenge may also stem from entrepreneurs' limited vision of their own potential. Furthermore, several factors impede the successful adoption of these technologies, potentially leading to a passive waiting approach from managers, coupled with an inadequate appreciation of the risks associated with delayed adoption. Therefore, this study aims to define strategic guidelines to steer managers of manufacturing SMEs towards a successful adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies. The study employs a qualitative, descriptive approach with a case study design. Findings indicate that the primary constraints are a lack of financial and technical resources, compounded by insufficient knowledge of technological integration and resistance to change. Consequently, the strategic guidelines proposed in this study are expected to mitigate these limitations, thereby facilitating a successful transition to Industry 4.0 within the local manufacturing subsector.
Ahmad, N., Abdullah, N. H., Ahmad, A., & Abu, G. (2021). A Literature Review on How Tax Incentives Could Assist Innovation and SME Research Ecosystem. Advanced International Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, 3(9), 228-243. https://doi.org/10.35631/AIJBES.39016
Ander, E. (1995). Técnicas de investigación social (Lumen, Ed.; 24.a ed.). https://epiprimero.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/ander-egg-tecnicas-de-investigacion-social.pdf
Ardito, L., Petruzzelli, A. M., & Albino, V. (2021). The Influence of Alliance Ambidexterity on Innovation Performance and the Moderating Role of Firm Age. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 68(2), 370-377. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2019.2902069
Bekmurzaeva, R., & Kovalev, G. S. (2023). Industry 4.0: The Fourth Industrial Revolution. SHS Web of Conferences, 172, 02011. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202317202011
Bittencourt, V. L., Alves, A. C., & Leão, C. P. (2021). Industry 4.0 triggered by Lean Thinking: insights from a systematic literature review. International Journal of Production Research, 59(5), 1496-1510. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2020.1832274
Brozzi, R., Forti, D., Rauch, E., & Matt, D. T. (2020). The advantages of Industry 4.0 applications for sustainability: Results from a sample of manufacturing companies. Sustainability, 12(9), 3647. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093647
Chen, C.-L., Lin, Y.-C., Chen, W.-H., Chao, C.-F., & Pandia, H. (2021). Role of government to enhance digital transformation in small service business. Sustainability, 13(3), 1028. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031028
Chesbrough, H. W. (2003). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Harvard Business School Press.
Davis, F. (1989). Utilidad percibida, facilidad de uso percibida y aceptación del usuario de la tecnología de la información. MIS Quarterly, 13 (3), 319-340.
Davis, F., Bagozzi, R., & Warshaw, P. (1989). User acceptance of computer technology: A comparison of two theoretical models. Management Science, 35(8), 983–1003. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.35.8.982
Di Sabato, V., & Savov, R. (2024). Training as a facilitator for Industry 4.0. Revista de Gestão, 31(3), 291-306. https://doi.org/10.1108/REGE-12-2021-0208
Franco, M., & Urbano, D. (2019). Caracterización de las pymes colombianas y de sus fundadores: un análisis desde dos regiones del país. Estudios Gerenciales, 81-91. https://doi.org/10.18046/j.estger.2019.150.2968
Gao, S., Zheng, H., Chen, D., & Liu, S. (2024). Research on digital economy driving high-quality development of China’s manufacturing industry. Academic Journal of Science and Technology, 11(2), 170–174. https://doi.org/10.54097/gv9svc15
Garzoni, A., De Turi, I., Secundo, G., & Del Vecchio, P. (2020). Fostering digital transformation of SMEs: a four levels approach. Management Decision, 58(8), 1543-1562. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-07-2019-0939
Glaser, B. G. & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: strategies for qualitative research. Hawthorne, N.Y.: Aldine de Gruyter.
Hammersley, M., & Atkinson, P. (1994). Etnografía: Métodos de investigación (Paidos Iberica, Ed.; segunda edición).
Hanelt, A., Bohnsack, R., Marz, D., & Antunes Marante, C. (2021). A Systematic Review of the Literature on Digital Transformation: Insights and Implications for Strategy and Organizational Change. Journal of Management Studies, 58(5), 1159-1197. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12639
Haohan, W., & Beinan, G. (2023). Realistic dilemmas and strategies to promote the transformation of SMEs driven by digital economy. SHS Web of Conferences, 170, 01020. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202317001020
Kalluri, R. C. (2023). An Impact of Digital Technology in Sustainable Business Development. Journal of Law and Sustainable Development, 11(12), e2696. https://doi.org/10.55908/sdgs.v11i12.2696
Khazanchi, S., Lewis, M. W., & Boyer, K. K. (2007). Innovation‐supportive culture: The impact of organizational values on process innovation. Journal of Operations Management, 25(4), 871-884. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2006.08.003
Kotter, JP (1997). El líder del cambio. P. Díaz Cortez, Trad. McGraw-Hill Interamericana Editores.
Lewin, K. (1988). Resolving social conflicts & Field theory in social science. American Psychological Association.
Liu, M., Li, H., Li, C., & Yan, Z. (2023). Digital transformation, financing constraints and enterprise performance. European Journal of Innovation Management. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-05-2023-0349
Masood, T., & Sonntag, P. (2020). Industry 4.0: Adoption challenges and benefits for SMEs. Computers in Industry, 121, 103261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2020.103261
Majama, N. S., & Magang, T. I. ‘Teddy’. (2017). Strategic Planning in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): A Case Study of Botswana SMEs. Journal of Management and Strategy, 8(1), 74. https://doi.org/10.5430/jms.v8n1p74
Matt, D. T., Molinaro, M., Orzes, G., & Pedrini, G. (2021). The role of innovation ecosystems in Industry 4.0 adoption. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 32(9), 369-395. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-04-2021-0119
Miles, M., & Huberman, A. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook (2a edición). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Ministerio del Trabajo. (2019, septiembre 26). “MiPymes representan más de 90% del sector productivo nacional y generan el 80% del empleo en Colombia”: ministra Alicia Arango. Ministerio del Trabajo. https://www.mintrabajo.gov.co/prensa/comunicados/2019/septiembre/mipymes-representan-mas-de-90-del-sector-productivo-nacional-y-generan-el-80-del-empleo-en-colombia-ministra-alicia-arango
Moeuf, A., Lamouri, S., Pellerin, R., Tamayo-Giraldo, S., Tobon-Valencia, E., & Eburdy, R. (2020). Identification of critical success factors, risks and opportunities of Industry 4.0 in SMEs. International Journal of Production Research, 58(5), 1384-1400. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2019.1636323
Mohamed, M. M. A., Liu, P., & Nie, G. (2022). Causality between Technological Innovation and Economic Growth: Evidence from the Economies of Developing Countries. Sustainability, 14(6), 3586. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063586
Morozko, N. (2023). Technologies of lending to small and medium-sized businesses in the conditions of digitalization of the economy. INFRA-M Academic Publishing LLC. https://doi.org/10.12737/2029823
Obermayer, N., Csizmadia, T., & Banász, Z. (2022). Companies on thin ice due to digital transformation: The role of digital skills and human characteristics. International and Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.17583/rimcis.10641
Palmer-Abbs, M., Cottrill, C., & Farrington, J. (2021). The digital lottery: The impact of next-generation broadband on small and micro rural enterprises in northeast Scotland. Journal of Rural Studies, 81, 99–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.08.04
Peres, R., Jia, X., Lee, J., Sun, K., Colombo, A., & Barata, J. (2020). Inteligencia artificial industrial en la Industria 4.0: revisión sistemática, desafíos y perspectivas. Acceso IEEE, 8, 220121-220139. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3042874
Ramadan, M., Amer, T., Salah, B., & Ruzayqat, M. (2022). The Impact of Integration of Industry 4.0 and Internal Organizational Forces on Sustaining Competitive Advantages and Achieving Strategic Objectives. Sustainability, 14(10), 5841. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14105841
Shahi, C., & Sinha, M. (2021). Digital transformation: Challenges faced by organizations and their potential solutions. International Journal of Innovation Science, 13(1), 17-33. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJIS-09-2020-0157
Sousa, M. J., & Rocha, Á. (2019). Skills for disruptive digital business. Journal of Business Research, 94, 257-263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.12.051
Uzule, K., & Verina, N. (2023). Digital Barriers in Digital Transition and Digital Transformation: Literature Review. Economics and Culture, 20(1), 125-143. https://doi.org/10.2478/jec-2023-0011
Veiga, M., & McCahery, J. (2019). The financing of small and medium-sized enterprises: An analysis of the financing gap in Brazil. European Business Organization Law Review, 20, 633–664. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40804-019-00167-7
Vizcaíno, K., Brito, R., & Cruz, D. (2023). Análisis del avance tecnológico en la industria manufacturera colombiana y su impacto en la productividad del 2005 al 2021. Trabajo de grado. Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina. https://digitk.areandina.edu.co/bitstream/handle/areandina/5102/Trabajo%20de%20grado.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Warner, K. S. R., & Wäger, M. (2019). Building dynamic capabilities for digital transformation: An ongoing process of strategic renewal. Long Range Planning, 52(3), 326-349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2018.12.001
Yin, R. K. (2009). Case Study Research. London: Sage.
Ynzunza, C., Izar, J., Bocarando, J., Aguilar, F., & Larios, M. (2017). El Entorno de la Industria 4.0: Implicaciones y Perspectivas Futuras. Conciencia Tecnológica, 54. https://www.redalyc.org/journal/944/94454631006/94454631006.pdf
Zahoor, N., & Al-Tabbaa, O. (2020). Inter-organizational collaboration and SMEs’ innovation: A systematic review and future research directions. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 36(2), 101109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2020.101109
Zhang, X., Xu, Y., & Ma, L. (2022). Research on successful factors and influencing mechanism of the digital transformation in SMEs. Sustainability, 14(5), 2549. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052549
Zheng, T., Ardolino, M., Bacchetti, A., & Perona, M. (2021). The applications of Industry 4.0 technologies in manufacturing context: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Production Research, 59(6), 1922-1954. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2020.1824085
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ingrid V. Bernal-Diaz , Hilda L. Jiménez-Orozco, William O. Alvarez-Araque