Industry 4.0 implementation in the supply chain: a review on the evolution of buyer-supplier relationships

This paper analyses extant literature on how Industry 4.0 impacts Social Capital in Buyer-Supplier Relationships. We conduct a systematic literature review and identify 36 academic articles that are analysed in the research process. The study uncovers strategic changes Industry 4.0 implies for Social Capital in Buyer-Supplier Relationships. These include transformations in cognitive, structural and relational capital in terms of a shared vision, social interaction and trust. Therein, Social Capital in Buyer-Supplier Relationships is needed and further invested in aspects like common decision-making, information sharing and cross-company integration in Industry 4.0 contexts. We propose that Industry 4.0 implementation does require and foster Social Capital in Buyer-Supplier Relationships and that two diametrically opposed elementary forms of Buyer-Supplier Relationships co-exist in an Industry 4.0 context. The systematic literature review is the first to analyse the extant body of literature on Buyer-Supplier Relationships in Industry 4.0 to synthesise detailed transformations against the backdrop of Social Capital. It provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of research and develops several suggestions for future research and managerial practice, for example, concerning the role of humans in strategic tasks in Industry 4.0.