Technological advancements related to the fourth industrialrevolution are causing disruptive changes that are widely felt atnational, industry, and company level. Industry 4.0, an initiativedriving the fourth industrial revolution, is happening at anexponential speed, and embracing and adopting it is unavoidablefor survival and competiveness. Although noticeable progress hasbeen made in the use of Industry 4.0 technologies, systems, andprocesses in developed countries, there is uncertainty about thepreparedness of businesses and industries in developing countries,including South Africa, to adopt Industry 4.0. The purpose of thisresearch paper is to explore the readiness of South African industryin this regard. A questionnaire instrument with quantitative criteriacompiled by the Impulse Foundation of Verband DeutscherMaschinen- und Anlagenbau was used in this study. The exploratorystudy revealed that South African industry is faced with significantchallenges in Industry 4.0 strategy formulation and equipmentinfrastructure to support Industry 4.0 requirements. The assessmentpointed out that Industry 4.0 skills exist in pockets in South Africa,and so a further study to reveal more detail on Industry 4.0 skillsrequirements is essential.
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