Exploring the Impact of Industry 4.0 Concepts on Energy and Environmental Management Systems: Evidence from Serbian Manufacturing Companies

Abstract

It became more than evident that the era of Industry 4.0 is upon us, where industrial manufacturing companies are facing strong demand to increase their productivity and profitability by realizing or upgrading to smart factories and resource-efficient manufacturing processes. Having this in mind the aim of this paper is to provide insight regarding best practices in implementing Industry 4.0 concepts and their implications on manufacturing energy and environmental management systems and overall manufacturing energy efficiency. Our analysis used the Serbian dataset from the European Manufacturing Survey conducted in 2018. Furthermore, non-parametric correlation (Spearman’s) analysis of the introduction of technologies on the one hand and EN ISO 50001 and EN ISO 14001 on the other was carried out. Results indicated significant correlation among Industry 4.0 concepts and both manufacturing energy and environmental management systems.