Quality 4.0, a term coined to describe the integration of traditional quality management principles with Industry 4.0 technologies, has been gaining considerable attention in the research community. In fact, it has evolved beyond being a mere addition to Industry 4.0 and has developed its own knowledge structure. In 2021, an explosion of new themes and specific frameworks related to Quality 4.0 emerged. Researchers have proposed various frameworks for integrating Quality 4.0 with other principles such as Total Quality Management (TQM). As the research landscape in the Quality 4.0 domain continues to grow, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to gain a better understanding of the field.
The bibliometric analysis was conducted on 105 documents published in academic journals until mid-April 2022. Citation, co-citation, and co-word analyses were employed, and the VOSviewer software was used for graphical analysis. The analysis revealed important trends, including a positive trend in the number of publications since 2018, with a clear spike in 2021. The study also identified the most cited documents related to Quality 4.0, as well as the most influential authors, journals, and documents. Networks of authors, journals, and documents were visualized to identify clusters of related concepts.
The study conducted a content analysis of the titles, abstracts, and keywords of 506 articles related to Quality 4.0. The top 22 most frequently co-occurring keywords were identified, with "quality 4.0" being the most common keyword. The analysis also evaluated the temporality of the keywords to identify the most recent topics related to Quality 4.0. The study found that the most recent Quality 4.0 keywords include interoperability, predictive analytics, machine learning, smart manufacturing, and quality improvement.
The study also identified the top 21 most cited documents related to Quality 4.0. The findings from this study provide valuable insights for researchers and practitioners and contribute to expanding the Quality 4.0 domain vision. However, the study acknowledges its limitations, including the limited number of databases searched and the exclusion of non-academic sources. Despite these limitations, the bibliometric analysis provides an innovative and comprehensive approach to understanding the Quality 4.0 research landscape.
In conclusion, Quality 4.0 is a rapidly evolving field with significant potential for improving quality management practices in Industry 4.0. The bibliometric analysis provides a valuable contribution to understanding the research landscape in the Quality 4.0 domain, identifying important trends, and highlighting areas for future research. The findings from this study can be used to guide researchers and practitioners in their efforts to advance the Quality 4.0 domain.
Authors
Condé, G. C. P., Oprime, P. C., Pimenta, M. L., Sordan, J. L., & Bueno, C. R. Quality 4.0: a bibliometric study and research agenda. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362390610_Quality_40_a_bibliom…