Maturity of Industry 4.0 in small footwear companies: A comparative analysis of the understanding and practical application of the concepts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36517/contextus.2026.96601Keywords:
Industry 4.0; digital transformation; organizational transformation; digital maturity; footwear sectorAbstract
Background: Industry 4.0 is the convergence of digital and physical technologies, requiring systems integration and organizational transformation. Although researchers have widely discussed this convergence, the literature has lacked studies addressing traditional segments, such as the footwear industry and small businesses, where I4.0 adoption faces specific infrastructure and internal resource challenges.
Purpose: This study investigated the conceptual understanding and practical application of fundamental Industry 4.0 principles and components in small footwear companies across the Vale do Rio dos Sinos (Rio Grande do Sul State) region to identify variations in their digital maturity.
Method: This study employed a descriptive, qualitative multiple-case study design. Data collection triangulated information drawn from eight semi-structured interviews, systematic non-participant observation, and document analysis.
Results: The data showed different levels of digital maturity. In the category of Understanding Industry 4.0, companies ranged from initial to consolidated understanding. In Practical Application, early-stage companies focus on automation but lack sufficient resources; only one has demonstrated an advanced application with integrated systems and real-time decision-making.
Conclusions: The results show that the adoption of Industry 4.0 in small companies is at a digital maturity level characterized by a disconnect between understanding and application, conditioned by organizational capabilities. Digital transformation depends more on internal capacity to translate it into practices such as system integration, data management, and an organizational culture that supports change (intangible resources).
References
Abicalçados – Associação Brasileira das Indústrias de Calçados. (2024). Relatório setorial da indústria de calçados do Brasil 2024. Abicalçados. https://www.abicalcados.com.br/publicacoes
Agolli, A., Kazani, I., Shehi, E., Spahiu, T., Hylli, M., Guxho, G., & Prence, E. (2025). Study on the application of digital technology in footwear industry in Albania. Tehnicki Vjesnik – Technical Gazette, 32(3), 1204–1209. https://doi.org/10.17559/TV-20241006002040
AL-Khatib A.W., Shuhaiber A., Mashal I., & Al-Okaily M. (2024), Antecedents of Industry 4.0 capabilities and technological innovation: A dynamic capabilities perspective. European Business Review, 36(4), 566–587. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-05-2023-0158
Allen, R. C. (2017). The industrial revolution: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
Arantes, R. C., Pereira, M. M. O., Castro, C. C., Mineiro, A. A. C., & Oliveira, J. A. (2021). A transformação digital e o conhecimento organizacional: Uma revisão sistemática da literatura. Contextus – Revista Contemporânea de Economia e Gestão, 19(21), 316–329. https://doi.org/10.19094/contextus.2021.71301
Arcidiacono, F., et al. (2022). The role of absorptive capacity in the adoption of smart manufacturing. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 42(6), 773-796 https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-09-2021-0615
Bardin, L. (2016). Análise de conteúdo. Edições 70.
Bibby, L., & Dehe, B. (2018). Defining and assessing Industry 4.0 maturity levels: Case of the defence sector. Production Planning & Control, 29(12), 1030–1043. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2018.1503355
Büchi, G., Cugno, M., & Castagnoli, R. (2020). Smart factory performance and Industry 4.0. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 150, 119790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.119790
Cavalcante, C. G. S., & Almeida, T. D. (2018). Os benefícios da Indústria 4.0 no gerenciamento das empresas. Journal of Lean Systems, 3(1), 125–151. https://www.aceguaratingueta.com.br/images/upload/files/META-2019_ACEG_ARTIGO_Os_benef%C3%ADcios_da_Ind%C3%BAstria_4.0_no_gerenciamento_das_empresas.pdf
Cucculelli, M., Dileo, I., & Pini, M. (2021). Filling the void of family leadership: Institutional support to business model changes in the Italian Industry 4.0 experience. Journal of Technology Transfer, 47(1), 213–241. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-021-09847-4
Culot, G., et al. (2020). The future of manufacturing: A Delphi-based scenario analysis on Industry 4.0. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120092
Demo, P. (2022). Avaliação qualitativa. Autores Associados.
Elnadi, M., & Abdallah, Y.O. (2024) Industry 4.0: critical investigations and synthesis of key findings. Management Review Quarterly, 74, 711–744 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-022-00314-4
Frank, A. G., Dalenogare, L. S., & Ayala, N. F. (2019). Industry 4.0 technologies: Implementation patterns in manufacturing companies. International Journal of Production Economics, 210, 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2019.01.004
Gadre, M., & Deoskar, A. (2020). Industry 4.0 -Digital Transformation, Challenges and Benefits. International Journal of Future Generation Communication and Networking, 13, 139–149. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344832176_Industry_40_-Digital_Transformation_Challenges_and_Benefits
Ghobakhloo, M., & Iranmanesh, M. (2018). Digital transformation success under Industry 4.0: A strategic guideline for manufacturing SMEs. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 32(8), 1533–1556. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-11-2020-0455
Gil, A. C. (2019). Métodos e técnicas de pesquisa social (7 ed.). Atlas.
Gilchrist, A. (2016). Introducing Industry 4.0. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-2047-4_13
Governo do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. (2025, novembro 17). Em Novo Hamburgo, Gabriel Souza destaca ações do Estado para o setor coureiro-calçadista. https://www.estado.rs.gov.br/em-novo-hamburgo-gabriel-souza-destaca-acoes-do-estado-para-o-setor-coureiro-calcadista
Hanauer, G. O., Schreiber, D., & Viana, L. P. (2024). Adoção de tecnologias da Indústria 4.0 para promover práticas sustentáveis. Revista Alcance, 31(3), 68–82. https://doi.org/10.14210/alcance.v31n3(Set/Dez).p68-82
Hanauer, G. O., Schreiber, D., & Viana, L. P. (2025). Tecnologias da Indústria 4.0 e seus impactos na operação sustentável das empresas. Pretexto, 25(4), 98–109. https://revista.fumec.br/index.php/pretexto/article/view/10357
Ietto, B., et al. (2022). The role of external actors in SMEs’ human-centered Industry 4.0 adoption: An empirical perspective on Italian competence centers. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2022.3144881
Javaid, M., et al. (2020). Industry 5.0: Potential applications in COVID-19. Journal of Industrial Integration and Management, 5(4), 507–530. https://doi.org/10.1142/S2424862220500220Cited by:179
Jimeno-Morenilla, A., et al. (2021). Technology enablers for the implementation of Industry 4.0 in traditional manufacturing sectors: A review. Computers in Industry, 125, 103390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2020.103390
Klingenberg, C. O., Borges, M. A. V., & Antunes, J. A., Jr. (2022). Industry 4.0: What makes it a revolution? A historical framework to understand the phenomenon. Technology in Society, 70, 102009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.102009
Lakatos, E. M., & Marconi, M. A. (2017). Fundamentos de metodologia científica (8 ed.). Atlas.
Mahmood, T., & Mubarik, M. S. (2020). Balancing innovation and exploitation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Role of intellectual capital and technology absorptive capacity. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 160, 120248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120248
Marum, A. M., et al. (2022). Mudanças trazidas pela Indústria 4.0 para a área da engenharia mecânica. Revista Científica SENAI-SP – Educação, Tecnologia e Inovação, 1(1), 106–124. https://periodicos.sp.senai.br/index.php/rcsenaisp/article/view/8
Messeni Petruzzelli, A., Murgia, G., & Parmentola, A. (2022). How can open innovation support SMEs in the adoption of I4.0 technologies? An empirical analysis. R&D Management, 52, 615–632. https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12507
Monteiro, G., Julião, J., & Gaspar, M. (2023). Impacto da Indústria 4.0 no setor do calçado (Dissertação de Mestrado). Católica Porto Business School. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/42409
Neumann, W. P., et al. (2021). Industry 4.0 and the human factor: A systems framework and analysis methodology for successful development. International Journal of Production Economics, 233, 107992. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2020.107992
Pacchini, A. P. T., et al. (2019). The degree of readiness for the implementation of Industry 4.0. Computers in Industry, 113, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2019.103125
Pagliosa, M., Tortorella, G., & Ferreira, J. C. E. (2019). Industry 4.0 and lean manufacturing: A systematic literature review and future research directions. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 31. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-12-2018-0446
Silva, F., Julião, J., & Gaspar, M. (2019). Impact of Industry 4.0 technologies in the Portuguese footwear industry (Dissertação de Mestrado). Católica Porto Business School. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/29846
Singh, A., et al. (2023). Smart manufacturing systems: A futuristics roadmap towards application of Industry 4.0 technologies. International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, 36(3), 411–428. https://doi.org/10.1080/0951192X.2022.2090607
Wang, L., et al. (2020). What nurtures the Fourth Industrial Revolution? An investigation of economic and social determinants of technological innovation in advanced economies. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120305
Xu, L. D., Xu, E. L., & Li, L. (2018). Industry 4.0: State of the art and future trends. International Journal of Production Research, 56(8), 2941–2962. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2018.1444806
Yin, R. (2015). Estudo de caso (5 ed.). Bookman.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal: only for the 1st publication
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The authors, while doing the submission, accept the notice below:
We authors hold the copyright related to our paper and transfer Contextus journal the right for the first publication with a Creative Commons’ international license of the modality Attribution – Non-commercial 4.0, which in turn allows the paper to be shared providing that both the authorship and the journal’s right for initial release are acknowledged.
Furthermore, we are aware of our permission to take part in additional contracts independently for non-exclusive distribution of the version of our work published in this journal (e.g. publishing it in an institutional repository or as a book chapter), while acknowledging both the authorship and the journal’s initial publication.
We also certify that the paper is original and up to this date has not been released in any other journal, Brazilian or of another nationality, either in Portuguese or another language, as well as it has not been sent for simultaneous publication in other journals.
Last, we not only know that plagiarism is not tolerated by Contextus but also certify the paper presents the sources of passages from cited works, including those authored by ourselves.
1.jpg)
1.jpg){kind=small}
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
2.png)
2.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
