Industry 4.0 Technology Adoption Issues for Small- and Medium-Sized Manufacturers and the Role of AI to Improve Adoption Rates

Original Equipment Manufacturers and large first-tier manufacturing companies have realized the need to utilize digitalization to compete in the global economy. These companies have the resources, funding, and engineering talent to evaluate and implement Industry 4.0, or Smart Manufacturing, capabilities to improve competitiveness and profitability. This is not the case for 90% of the supply chain comprising small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs). In this paper, we explore the inhibitors to technology adoption and present the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in improving adoption rates in the industrial base. The paper closes with a look at how technologies such as AI will affect the future of electronics manufacturing.