Manufacturing 4.0 adoption and productivity performance in developing economies: a resource-based view from Colombia's North Coast

Purpose This study examines the strategic value of Manufacturing 4.0 technologies, namely robotics, additive manufacturing and the Internet of Things (IoT), in developing economies, where empirical evidence remains limited. Focusing on Colombia's North Coast, it assesses how firms deploy these technologies to improve supply chain and organizational performance under structural constraints such as limited infrastructure, skill shortages and financial restrictions. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 125 supply chain managers in manufacturing firms through a structured online survey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the relationships between technological adoption, supply chain practices and organizational outcomes. Findings Robotics and additive manufacturing significantly enhance supply chain efficiency and, in turn, organizational performance. IoT shows no significant effect on supply chain efficiency, reflecting integration challenges and infrastructural limitations. The value of Manufacturing 4.0 technologies is therefore context-dependent, shaped by local capability and resource conditions. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to one region of Colombia and relies on managerial perceptions. Future research should include longitudinal, multi-regional and multi-informant designs to validate and extend findings. Practical implications Managers in developing economies should prioritize robotics and additive manufacturing, while gradually building the complementary capabilities required to unlock IoT's strategic potential. Originality/value Grounded in the resource-based view, the study reconceptualizes valuable, rare, inimitable and nonsubstitutable (VRIN) status as an emergent property of the adoption context rather than a fixed technology attribute, showing that Manufacturing 4.0 technologies function as strategic resources only when contextual conditions allow them to meet VRIN criteria. This contextual VRIN proposition offers a transferable lens for resource-constrained settings, alongside region-specific evidence for developing-country supply chains.