Towards a Taxonomy of Industrial Challenges and Enabling Technologies in Industry 4.0

In the era of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), a significant challenge hindering digital transformation is the lack of mutual understanding between academia—particularly within engineering and computer science—and the industrial sector, especially small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This gap can result in industries missing out on the potential benefits of cutting-edge scientific research and innovations that can address their daily concerns. At the same time, academics may struggle to identify real-world application areas for their emerging technological solutions. Moreover, the ever-increasing complexity of industrial challenges and technologies has widened the hiatus. To address this issue, our study introduces a comprehensive taxonomy, developed through a transparent, iterative process and presented via a user-centric web platform. Distinct from existing taxonomies, ours emphasizes practical applicability by categorizing and connecting industrial challenges with I4.0 technologies using articles, best practices, and use cases from academic and grey literature, thereby effectively bridging the academic-industrial communication gap. Its effectiveness and practical utility were validated in a workshop as part of the Erasmus+ project PLANET4, where industry professionals provided positive feedback after applying it to real-world challenges. Future work will include expanding the taxonomy, developing an Industry 4.0 ontology, and further enhancing the usability and maintainability of the developed web platform.