Purpose A reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) has gained global attention due to its ability to respond quickly to changing customer demands, dynamic market conditions, and technological advancements. However, the role of RMS in modern manufacturing eras such as Industry 4.0 and the adoption of 10R approaches have received little attention. The purpose of this paper is to identify the role of RMS and its key characteristics in meeting the requirements of Industry 4.0 and the adoption of 10R manufacturing approaches. It also aspires to compute the weights of key characteristics to understand their relative importance. Design/methodology/approach A literature review first identifies six Industry 4.0 manufacturing system requirements and their links to six RMS key characteristics, followed by 10R manufacturing approaches and their relationships to key characteristics. The key characteristic weights are then computed using the AHP method. Findings Among the six key characteristics of RMS, the study findings show that customization has the highest weightage, followed by modularity and scalability. RMS capabilities are beneficial to Industry 4.0 and adoption of 10R approaches to improve manufacturing system efficiency, automation levels, sustainable developments, and productivity. The presented results can assist RMS and Industry 4.0 practitioners in their adoption, while practitioners of 10R approaches can refer to it to understand the capabilities of RMS while adopting these approaches. Originality/value The authors of the presented work believe that this is the first attempt to identify the relation of key characteristics of RMS with Industry 4.0 requirements and 10R manufacturing approaches. The capabilities of RMS in terms of advanced manufacturing and sustainable manufacturing have received little attention in the existing literature.