A field study on the impacts of implementing concepts and elements of industry 4.0 in the biopharmaceutical sector

This article proposes a field study on the applications and impacts of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) in the biopharmaceutical sector, based on an initial literature review. The world is facing a new industrial revolution that is happening at a faster pace than the previous ones. The central idea is the integration between the virtual and the real world through elements that will allow a greater degree of automation and digitization of processes The fieldwork, carried out between July and December 2019, considered semi-structured interviews with managers of pharmaceutical companies or specialists in the I4.0 theme. The interviews pointed out the need for the biopharmaceutical sector to adapt to the concepts of I4.0 and identified its main benefits and barriers. The perceptions were considerably diversified, with the benefits in operational efficiency, productivity and quality being the most scored items. Regarding the main barriers, the most highlighted by the interviewees were the need to break organizational cultural standards, regulatory requirements, the lack of organizational strategies for implementation and the lack of qualified professionals. In conclusion, this work in progress is a contribution to the biopharmaceutical sector and reinforces the imminent need for companies to adapt to this new reality.