Industry 4.0 technologies and servitization strategy: a good match?

Objectives. The paper aims at investigating whether a relationship exists between servitization strategy and the adoption of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies among small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in B2B context. Methodology. Case study method based on in-depth interviews with entrepreneurs and managers of 7 SMEs operating in the mechanical sector in Italy Findings. The article provides some preliminary evidence on the interplay between some I4.0 technologies (Internet of Things, Cloud, Simulation, Big Data and Analytics) and servitization strategies of B2B SMEs, and highlights some performance implications. The authors propose three research propositions to be tested in future researches. Research limits. Although the goal of the research is exploratory, it is worth to mention that it considers a small sample of B2B SMEs operating in the metals and machinery sector. Future studies could investigate these relationships among larger samples of cross-sectional companies. Practical implications. This work identifies a selection of technologies belonging to I4.0, which can be coherent with each other and functional to the implementation of a servitization strategy of SMEs. Originality of the study. This work contributes to servitization literature, by investigating the role of I4.0 technologies. Also, it contributes to management literature, by offering a first empirical evidence of Italian manufacturing SMEs that have adopted I4.0 technologies.