Purpose: Industry 4.0 represents a special challenge for businesses in general and for SMEs in particular. The study at hand will examine companies' awareness, readiness and capability to meet this challenge taking into account the special role of SMEs Design/methodology/approach: The results of...

Background: the advent of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) innovations has revolutionized supply chain management through technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) integrated into procurement processes. Methods: this study addresses a critical knowledge gap by conducting...