Paper aims To provide guidelines on current state of the literature on aspects related to the implementation of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) for operations flexibility in emerging economies, and derived from this, propose a conceptual framework for the analysis of the main topics studied. Originality Based on previous literature reviews on related topics (I4.0 and flexibility), we recognized an opportunity to focus on developing countries which until now has not been documented. Research method We carried out a systematic review of the literature together with a topic cluster analysis. Main findings The study revealed that there is a perceived consensus on how Industry 4.0 technologies can impact flexibility in emerging countries. Cloud computing is by far the most adopted technology despite the fact that there is a wide concern about security issues. The use of other technologies and their impact appears to be incipient. Implications for theory and practice The study presented here can be used as a starting point for new directions of research in terms of adoption of these technologies and new applications developed and/or customized to the realities of emerging countries.
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