Abstract
Researchers and practitioners argue that in the global context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also labelled Industry 4.0, the regional dimension of industrial development remains equally essential. A region that effectively implements the concept of Industry 4.0 can accelerate by enhancing the manufacturing energy efficiency, thus contributing to the goals of the “Green Deal” policy. Therefore, to support the policy-making process, it is necessary to develop analytical tools exploring the determinants of the Industry 4.0 development. This paper presents a methodology of strategic analysis of a region in terms of the Industry 4.0 development potential. The core of the methodology is an extended Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. The study identifies regional strengths and weaknesses, external incentives and disincentives, internal opportunities and threats, and external opportunities and threats with regard to the development of Industry 4.0, related technologies and the potential of increasing manufacturing energy efficiency. The research procedure is exemplified by the case of Podlaskie Voivodeship in Poland. The results of this study demonstrate the robustness of the proposed approach. The elaborated methodology can be used by decision-makers in designing strategies for the development of fourth-generation industry at a regional level.
Highlights
In recent years, global industry has been shaped by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, known as Industry 4.0
It should be noted that the analysis focused on selected phrases only; issues related to fourth-generation industry may have been discussed using different terminology
Extension of the SWOT factors classification according to the typology: the region’s strengths and weaknesses, external incentives and disincentives, internal opportunities and threats, and external opportunities and threats, enabled better recognition of the potential of the voivodeship and its environment in the development of Industry 4.0
Summary
Global industry has been shaped by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, known as Industry 4.0. The current one stands out by a much faster pace of change and an impact that extends into all areas of human activity [1,2,3]. This new concept reshapes the way production companies do business by introducing digital technologies and modern organizational and management methods [2,3,4,5]. According to Schwab [1], raising awareness of ongoing changes, taking up challenges, and seeking opportunities will help to shape the course of industrial transformation. Many countries have created strategic documents and programs dedicated to the fourth generation industry, such as the German “High Tech Strategy 2020”, Energies 2020, 13, 5972; doi:10.3390/en13225972 www.mdpi.com/journal/energies
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