Ahmad Ghorbanpour

Purpose: The advent of Industry 4.0 has introduced fresh challenges for businesses operating in the manufacturing and industrial sectors. The goal of this study is to assess the readiness of petrochemical companies to adapt to the changes brought by Industry 4.0. Methodology: This study methodology consists of two stages: identification of readiness assessment indicators and clustering of petrochemical companies using a combined K-means clustering algorithm combined with Particle Swarm Optimization (K-means-PSO). The statistical population of the study includes petrochemical companies in Iran. A standard questionnaire, developed by the University of Warwick for evaluating Industry 4.0 readiness, was distributed among 78 petrochemical companies, and the data collected were analyzed using the K-means-PSO algorithm. Findings: The results indicate that 42 companies are in the first cluster, demonstrating a low level of preparedness for adapting to the changes of Industry 4.0, while 36 companies in the second cluster exhibit a moderate level of performance. Research implications: This study evaluated the level of readiness of petrochemical companies for adopting Industry 4.0 technologies and provided guidelines for managers and upstream industries to enhance, improve, and transition toward a mature and prepared organization capable of adapting to Industry 4.0 technologies. Originality: To date, no research has been conducted to assess the readiness of petrochemical companies to adapt to Industry 4.0 developments. This study is one of the first to assess and cluster these companies based on their readiness, providing essential insights to enhance their adaptability in the evolving industrial landscape.