Implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies in the maintenance of commercial buildings in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore the level of implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies in the maintenance of commercial buildings in Zimbabwe. Employing a quantitative method comprising questionnaires, data were collected from 70 participants consisting of Property Managers, City Council Authorities, and Private building owners. Through inferential statistical analysis, the study found the dominance of traditional paper-based maintenance practices. The study concludes that there are low adoption levels of industry 4.0 technologies in the maintenance of commercial buildings in Zimbabwe. Consequently, the study recommends the adoption of cyber-physical systems integrated with the Internet of Things, big data, and cloud computing in the maintenance of commercial buildings. Despite the small sample size limiting the generalisability of data, the results provide insights to improve the maintenance of commercial buildings which are in dire state in Zimbabwe and similar contexts.