From Supply Chain 4.0 to Supply Chain 5.0: Findings from a Systematic Literature Review and Research Directions

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to present what the Industry 5.0 phenomenon means in the supply chain context. A systematic literature review method was used to get evidence from the current knowledge linked to this theme. The results have evidenced a strong gap related to Industry 5.0 approaches for the supply chain field. Forty-one (41) publications, including conference and journal papers, have been found in the literature. Nineteen (19) words, which were grouped in four (4) clusters, have been identified in the data analysis. This was the basis to form the four (4) constructs of Industry 5.0: Industry Strategy, Innovation and Technologies, Society and Sustainability, and Transition Issues. Then, an alignment with the supply chain context was proposed, being the basis for the incipient Supply Chain 5.0 framework and its research agenda. Industry 5.0 is still in an embryonic and ideal stage. The literature is scarce and many other concepts and discoveries are going to emerge. Although this literature review is based on few available sources, it provides insightful and novel concepts related to Industry 5.0 in the supply chain context. Moreover, it presents a clear set of constructs and a structured research agenda to encourage researchers in deploying further conceptual and empirical works linked to the subject herein explored. Organizations’ leadership, policymakers, and other practitioners involved in supply chains, and mainly those currently working with Industry 4.0 initiatives, can benefit from this research by having clear guidance regarding the dimensions needed to structurally design and implement an Industry 5.0 strategy. This article adds valuable insights to researchers and practitioners, by approaching the newest and revolutionary concept of the Industry 5.0 phenomenon in the supply chain context, which is still an unexplored theme.