Published Online: 18 Jan 2022
DANUBE, 12 (4), 239–255
Abstract
The definition and understanding of the Industry 4.0 concept vary widely in the literatureand among practitioners. The objective of our research was to analyse the perceptions ofIndustry 4.0 in the Visegrad companies and the explanations for the differences thereof;and second, to compare perceptions of Industry 4.0 between Visegrad firms and experts.Our article relies on a combined methodology: analysis of literature and of informationgained from questionnaire-based semi-structured interviews, conducted with randomlyselected company representatives, academic and industry experts, and representatives ofgovernment agencies. Our results show that most Visegrad firms identify Industry 4.0 onlywith a limited set of selected new technologies, while experts usually have a more complexunderstanding of it, identifying it with a new business model. It would be important to havea clearly defined concept in order to elaborate related nationwide strategies and relatedeconomic and other policy tools.
Keywords: Industry 4.0, Visegrad Countries, Technology
