Scientometrics and Analysis of the Research Trends in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Field and Quality 0.4

This research aims to investigate the changes that have taken place in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, particularly in the field of quality 4.0, at a global level and within organizations. The researchers seek to explore the impact of intelligent technologies on society and products, as well as how advanced and developing countries have moved towards digitalization. Various specific topics related to Industry 4.0 and Quality 4.0 have received special attention in this study. Additionally, the research aims to examine the collaboration between countries in different areas and how researchers and industry professionals in developed countries have utilized intelligent technologies to enhance their capabilities.

Scientometrics and data analysis methods were employed in this research to achieve the research objectives and answer the research questions. Data, including articles, books, dissertations, conference papers, and more, were extracted from the Web of Science database, specifically focusing on the years 2012 to 2020, in the fields of industry 4.0, intelligent technologies, quality 4.0, and related concepts. A total of 4,926 studies were included. The Space software was used for data analysis, where nodes represent author names, journals, countries, keywords, etc., and the links indicate citations or correlations between nodes. The desired outputs were presented in the form of figures and tables.

Although countries like Germany and the United States were among the first to pursue digitalization and the use of intelligent technologies in their production systems and all sectors of their countries, many developing countries, such as India, have increasingly embraced these technologies. It is expected that these countries will achieve significant technological advancements in the near future. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that researchers have focused more on the use of intelligent technologies to reduce environmental pollution by minimizing the use of natural resources. This demonstrates the global attention given to environmental issues. The findings also indicate a trend towards intelligent production and the necessity of automated quality control using robots. Such advancements should be widely implemented within organizations, leading to smart quality or quality 4.0.

Based on the results of this research, it is evident that the Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought significant changes to technologies in general, transforming production and service processes through technologies such as cyber-physical systems, 3D printing, blockchain, and big data. In recent years, many organizations in both developing and developed countries have sought to implement quality 4.0 concepts in various areas such as leadership, culture, and strategy development, utilizing intelligent technologies for smart quality control within their organizations. Therefore, future research in the fields of industry 4.0 and quality 4.0 may consider topics such as digital leadership, digital culture, digital organizational structure, and more.