Industria 4.0 e Performance delle Supply Chain: Indagine sulla Filiera Farmaceutica Italiana

[Autom. eng. transl.] The aim of this work is to investigate the impact of the adoption of digital technologies related to Industry 4.0 on the different performance dimensions (operational, economic, environmental) of supply chains. The study will be carried out by investigating the adoption of technologies in the Dafne Consortium, which is the association of companies that are part of the Italian pharmaceutical supply chain. The data were collected by sending questionnaires to the managers of the companies of the consortium, for a total of 103 questionnaires. The results demonstrate that the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies does not have a positive impact on performance if such technologies are adopted in a non-homogeneous manner within the supply chain. In particular, manufacturing-related technologies have a negative impact on operational performance. These results are relevant both for managers, who as a consequence of the hype effect generated by the diffusion of the concept of Industry 4.0 could invest in these technologies with unexpected consequences, and for policy makers, who should promote supply chain projects by encouraging the integration and convergence of different operators towards a technological alignment and common objectives.