Knowledge sharing opportunities for Industry 4.0 firms

This paper focuses on the role that collaboration holds in supporting knowledge sharing mechanisms for the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies. We develop a qualitative analysis based on four firms that show a collaborative approach both in the regional ecosystem in which they are included and within their organizational structure. The objective is twofold, i.e. to understand if and how the introduction of 4.0 technologies has changed the nature of the relationships with external knowledge sources, and if and how 4.0 technologies have redefined the collaborative culture within the organizational structure. The findings show that collaboration is imperative for introducing 4.0 technologies. The firms reveal to hold a mentoring role by supporting other less advanced firms in the adoption of 4.0 technologies and confirm that 4.0 technologies are facilitating the emergence of a collaborative culture in the regional ecosystem. On the other hand, both formal and informal collaborative approaches within their organization are found to support the adoption of new digital technologies.