You will conduct a review of the literature in the subject area commonly referred to as Industry 4.0.

Assessment Information

Purpose of the Assessment

This assignment is designed to enable you to demonstrate an understanding of the likely impact of technology upon existing supply chain operations processes.

Assessment Task

You will conduct a review of the literature in the subject area commonly referred to as “Industry 4.0”. Specifically, you are to identify the origins of the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and to chart its development up to the present day.

Following your review, you are to critically evaluate the impact of Industry 4.0 on the supply chain operations of a company of your choice. You will be expected to illustrate your discussion with examples from academic journals, the trade press and other authoritative sources.

Assessment Breakdown

1. Establish the scenario for your report by selecting an organisation of any type, sector and size to focus your report on. Describe:

   1. Which organisation is it? (type, sector and size)

   2. What are the main products and/or services provided by the organisation?

   3. Who are the main customers? (10% of word count)

2. Prepare a literature review, charting the development of the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution from its inception until the present day. Ensure that you include references to at least 10 peer-reviewed articles, including the 2017 paper by Szozda that has been supplied ( Adobe Acrobat Document ). You may also find relevant reviews in the trade press and from other authoritative sources. (45% of word count)

3. Replicate Szozda’s case study (as illustrated by Figures 4 and 5 in the supplied paper) in the context of your chosen company.

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

“Report Content Checklist”

• STUDENT NAME AND REPORT FRONT SHEET

• DESCRIPTION OF THE CHOSEN COMPANY (10%) - customers, products and services

• LITERATURE SEARCH (45%) – Prepare a literature review, charting the development of the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution from its inception until the present day.

• SCENARIO DEVELOPMENT (45%) - Replicate Szozda’s case study (as illustrated by Figures 4 and 5 in the supplied paper) in the context of your chosen company. How will the company change?

Sample Answer

The Impact of Industry 4.0 on Unilever’s Supply Chain Operations

Introduction

In recent years, the idea of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, has changed how companies understand production and supply chains. It focuses on connecting physical processes with digital systems to make operations faster, more flexible and data-driven. This report explores the origins and development of Industry 4.0 and examines its impact on the supply chain operations of Unilever, a global leader in the consumer goods industry. The discussion begins with a brief overview of Unilever and its customers, followed by a review of key literature on Industry 4.0 and a critical evaluation of how these technologies could transform Unilever’s supply chain based on Szozda’s (2017) case study model.

Description of the Chosen Company

Unilever is one of the world’s largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies. Headquartered in London, it operates in more than 190 countries and employs around 128,000 people globally (Unilever, 2024). The company produces a wide range of products, including food, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care items. Some of its well-known brands include Dove, Knorr, Persil, Lipton, and Magnum.

Unilever’s main customers are both businesses and consumers. The company sells its products through large retailers such as Tesco, Carrefour and Walmart, as well as through e-commerce platforms like Amazon. Because its customers are spread across global markets, the company’s supply chain is vast and complex, connecting thousands of suppliers and distributors. The efficiency of this supply chain is crucial to maintaining product availability, quality and sustainability.

Literature Review: The Development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

The term Industry 4.0 was first introduced at the Hanover Fair in Germany in 2011 as part of a government strategy to digitalise manufacturing (Kagermann et al., 2013). It represented a vision where physical production systems are linked with digital technologies through the Internet of Things (IoT), creating what are known as cyber-physical systems. The goal was to make production smarter, more autonomous and more adaptable to change.

Klaus Schwab (2016), founder of the World Economic Forum, expanded the concept beyond manufacturing, describing the Fourth Industrial Revolution as a period of deep transformation where digital, physical and biological systems converge. He argued that unlike earlier industrial revolutions driven by steam, electricity or computing, Industry 4.0 connects intelligent machines and systems that can learn, adapt and make decisions using real-time data.

According to Hermann, Pentek and Otto (2016), Industry 4.0 is built on several key technologies: automation, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, big data, and IoT. These technologies allow continuous data exchange between machines, people and organisations. In supply chain terms, this means every stage, from raw material sourcing to customer delivery, can be monitored and optimised in real time.

Academic research shows that Industry 4.0 has evolved in three stages. The first stage (2011–2015) focused on defining the concept and developing early frameworks for “smart factories.” The second stage (2016–2020) saw wider application of digital tools such as sensors, advanced analytics, and cloud-based platforms (Lasi et al., 2014). The current stage (2020 onwards) is characterised by the integration of artificial intelligence and sustainability goals, with companies using digital systems to track carbon footprints and ethical sourcing (Frank et al., 2019).

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