Abstract The advent of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) has brought about a significant transformation in the manufacturing sector, leading to notable improvements in various aspects such as flexibility, mass customization, quality, and productivity. The emergence of I4.0 technologies has garnered significant attention in recent literature regarding Global Value Chains (GVCs), as they present both opportunities and challenges in three key strategic dimensions: sustainability, geographical configuration, and efficiency. However, despite the rapidly increasing academic and practitioner interest in I4.0 technologies related to GVC, it is not yet clear how these three dimensions interact. This present study addresses this gap by carrying out a systematic literature review to identify, synthesize, assess, and interpret the findings of existing studies, framing GVC resilience as the emerging outcome of geographical configuration, efficiency and sustainability, rather than an isolated outcome. Specifically, we seek to answer the following research questions: How does the existing literature conceptualize the role of I4.0 technologies in shaping the geographical configuration , efficiency , and sustainability of GVCs? What are the existing gaps that need to be addressed for future research? Our findings not only contribute to synthesizing a fragmented literature but also offer clarification on how I4.0 technologies simultaneously affect geographical configuration, efficiency, and sustainability, as well as their interactions. Finally, we offer a research agenda and practical guidance for managers seeking to advance GVC management through the adoption of I4.0 technologies.
Zadeh et al. (Mon,) studied this question.