Indian SME perspectives of supply chain risks in Industry 4.0 environment

The objective of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of emerging supply chain risks in the Industry 4.0 environment, as perceived by large company industry experts and SME professionals. This comparison is valuable for extending and validating prior research findings on risk perceptions and is expected to offer both conceptual and practical insights into risk mitigation strategies in the Industry 4.0 context. Data for this study were collected from n = 868 supply chain professionals working in Indian SMEs. The findings indicate that Indian SME supply chain practitioners with low technology adoption prioritise demand, disruption, and financial risks, whereas those with high technology adoption emphasise cybersecurity, disruption, and demand risks. The latter aligns closely with expert assessments, which identify disruption, cybersecurity, and system-related risks as key challenges in the Industry 4.0 environment (Rank order correlation = 0.69). These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the decision-making processes of industry professionals as they develop risk management strategies.