Analyzing Industry 4.0 trends through the Technology Roadmapping Method

Future-oriented Technology Analysis (FTA) has been widely used in organizations to support the management decision-making process with emphasis on forecasting the timing, diffusion, and life cycle of technologies. The concept of Industry 4.0, understood as the connection between machines, systems, and assets to create intelligent networks that will help in productive control, introduces several technological innovations in the fields of automation, control, and information technology aimed at manufacturing processes. In this work, we use the Technology Roadmapping Method (TRM) to better understand the main issues on Industry 4.0 and the consequences and developments in future scenarios for the industrial sector.