Evolution of Industrial Revolution 4.0 in seaport system: an interpretation from a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 has been emerged and widely implemented in manufacturing sectors; however, the adaptation of this recent paradigm remains indefinite in the seaport system and makes the performance of each seaport around the globe non-parallel, limiting the trade effectiveness and decelerating the competitiveness, which eventually affects the price of the cargo. Consequently, this paper aims to determine the current status of IR 4.0 implementation in the seaport sector and to categorise the most critical sustainable factors (CSFs). To meet the aim of this paper, a bibliometric analysis from two major databases, Scopus and Web of Sciences, has been utilised. The result indicates that there are four stages that need to be considered for the implementation of IR 4.0 in the seaport industry: adoption, implementation, operational and evaluation. Currently, IR 4.0 in the expanding phase was applied at the stage of adoption. The outcome of this paper can be used as a benchmark to explore, analyse and vindicate the significant variables for the implementation of the fourth industrial revolution in the seaport sector especially from the Malaysian outlook.