The fourth industrial revolution has brought about a radical change for companies in all sectors of industry. Since the consequences of this revolution cannot yet be estimated, the forecasts of the full development of industry 4.0 vary considerably. In the past, industry 4.0’s implementation date has been considered, but the level of detail on the technology side is too high and there is a substantial lack of differentiation on the users side. Knowledge of the industry-specific implementation date of Industry 4.0 is essential for a successful transformation. For this purpose a two-part analysis is carried out: First of all, a suitable innovation cycle for the new production paradigm is being developed. Secondly, determinants of adoption are derived from Industry 4.0. The combination of these parts allows classifying the sectors in the industry 4.0 innovation cycle.
