# Industry 4.0 and World Class Manufacturing Integration: 100 Technologies for a WCM-I4.0 Matrix
## 8 Conclusions  
With this work, the authors wanted to highlight the synergy between I4.0 and WCM and the impact of I4.0 technologies on WCM pillars, a subject almost ignored in the literature so far. After outlining the technological panorama of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution and recalling the WCM system, a framework to relate the two concepts has been proposed: the WCM-I4.0 matrix aims to track and categorize the technological opportunities that I4.0 can offer to WCM. Each element of the matrix represents a reasonable need for the WCM model, which can be satisfied by an I4.0 technology solution. The WCM-I4.0 matrix has been compiled with 100 I4.0 applications for shop floor management.  
Results show that the synergy between the two universes is evident: WCM may benefit greater accuracy, precision and reliability of information gathering thanks to I4.0 potentialities.  
What emerges is that a great heterogeneity of technological opportunities can satisfy many of the needs of WCM functions. The totality of the pillars can benefit significantly from an investment in I4.0 technologies.  
For each pillar, moreover, some very interesting applications have been found; it is not possible to define with certainty which pillar is the most beneficiary of a hypothetical investment in I4.0, either because it is not possible to fully access the technological panorama (as manufacturers tend to protect their skills and know-how), or because enough technologies have been found to affirm the importance of I4.0 for each component of WCM.  
A question may arise on who shall be responsible for the compilation of the WCM-I4.0 matrix inside a WCM organization: The WCM pillar that deals with the modernization of the plant and the implementation of new technologies is the EEM pillar. Consequently, it seems that this analysis shall be performed by the EEM pillar leader. However, the compilation of the WCM-I4.0 matrix shall be done in collaboration with the other pillar leaders who are responsible for identifying and describing their respective improvement drivers and needs.  
Thus, the EEM pillar leader, leveraging on his technical knowledge of the I4.0 innovations and applications, may draft a first compilation of the matrix and suggest a set of technologies to be analyzed by the other pillar leaders.  
The construction of the WCM-I4.0 matrix is only the first step to effectively align the WCM with I4.0 investments. A further step may focus on the creation of another matrix, to be coupled with the WCM-I4.0 one, which may exploit an ICE index in order to determine the economic impact of each technology implementation inside each pillar, highlighting the associated costs (and aligning these with the Cost Deployment pillar) along with ease and timing of implementation.  
In conclusion, this study affirms the importance of Industry 4.0 for World Class Manufacturing. It is important that, with the continuous growth of competitiveness in the markets, could be translated into a necessity.  
L.D.: Supervision, Writing--review & editing. R.M.: Formal analysis, Writing--original draft. M.M.S.: Conceptualization, Methodology, writing--review & editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research received no external funding.  
The authors would like to thank the members of the Operations Excellence Think Tank of Tor Vergata University of Rome for their invaluable contribution to this research.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest.