Abstract:

Purpose: It is aimed to reveal the status of Industry 4.0, its implementation examples, the advantages and challenges in the transformation process, and the effect of Industry 4.0 on productivity for two leading manufacturers and one of their suppliers operating in the Turkish white goods industry. Methodology: The exploratory case study method was used as suggested by Yin (2002, 2017). Evidence was obtained via semi-structured interviews, direct observations, and online documents regarding companies. Findings: Turkish white goods companies have made significant efforts in the transformation of Industry 4.0 and perceive the transformation as a must. Companies allocate a special budget for Industry 4.0 and attach great importance to data collection/analytics. The investments have a positive effect on productivity even in the short term. Originality: The current paper is the first academic work that unveils the status of Industry 4.0 in the white goods industry, which is the second-largest white goods manufacturer in the world and one of the most innovative and digitally mature sectors, through a case study.

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