The role of knowledge management in driving the application of industry 4.0 in logistics

Knowledge is becoming a critical driver of business innovation and companies need to implement strategies to support knowledge management processes. The concept of Industry 4.0 is heavily based on the use of digital technology to achieve productivity improvements and higher degree of flexibility in production processes. Consequently, knowledge management is expected to play a strategic role in the application of Industry 4.0 in a number of sectors including the logistics and supply chain industry. Nevertheless, the role of knowledge management in the application of Industry 4.0 in logistics and supply chain management is still unclear. This paper addresses this issue. Its main objective is to shed light on how knowledge management may support the implementation of the Industry 4.0 concept in logistics and supply chains. To achieve this objective, a literature-based analysis has been developed to explore the phenomenon under investigation. Such an analysis demonstrate that the academic literature neglected the potential of knowledge management in the relationship between Industry 4.0 and logistics, while knowledge is becoming a critical component for the effective management and performance of logistics. The study concludes that knowledge management requires transformation and new business models for supporting effectively logistics in the age of Industry 4.0 and it suggests a number of possible research avenues to validate the role of knowledge management in this area.