The Potential of Smart Factories and Innovative Industry 4.0 Technologies—A Case Study of Different-Sized Companies in the Furniture Industry in Central Europe

New innovative technologies of Industry 4.0 are the key to the future development of the furniture industry, which is outdated because of its atypical production and small-series production. For applying the novel trends of Industry 4.0 to the furniture sector, the methodical support of managers, th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forests 2022-12, Vol.13 (12), p.2171
Main Authors: Červený, Luboš, Sloup, Roman, Červená, Tereza
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Automation
Business models
Case studies
Communication
Communications technology
Content analysis
Environmental changes
Environmental impact
Factories
forestry and wood sector
Furniture industry
furniture technology
Industry 4.0
Innovations
Managers
Manufacturing
Market positioning
Natural resources
project managers
Qualitative analysis
Small & medium sized enterprises-SME
smart factory
Strategic planning
Timber
Wood
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Summary:New innovative technologies of Industry 4.0 are the key to the future development of the furniture industry, which is outdated because of its atypical production and small-series production. For applying the novel trends of Industry 4.0 to the furniture sector, the methodical support of managers, the key users of these technologies, is essential. As there is a lack of knowledge regarding implementation of Industry 4.0, this study focuses on the evaluation of the current status of furniture companies in terms of production structure and Industry 4.0 benefits/threats with the aim of proposing methodological solutions for the implementation of this trend across different-sized enterprises. Data are collected using conduct-structured interviews with project managers who describe their own experience with Industry 4.0 implementation in central Europe. All interviews are analyzed using qualitative content analysis. According to the stakeholders, innovative production and non-production technologies are essential for their enterprises. Application of such technologies increases the efficiency of the whole operation by 30%–50% over the five years since the first innovations were introduced, especially in enterprises with atypical production and large enterprises. This study should serve as the tool for adapting the environmental changes and promoting the innovation approaches of the Industry 4.0 strategies on the central European level.
ISSN:1999-4907
1999-4907
DOI:10.3390/f13122171