Industry 4.0 Readiness of SMEs: Active Participants or Silent Audience of the Revolution?

Abstract

Nowadays, the technological consequences of the Fourth Industrial Revolution affect all organisations. However, the current reactions of SMEs have yet to be explored. For this reason, this study focused on the actual status of SMEs and aimed to determine their readiness and awareness of Industry 4.0 technologies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 44 SME managers operating in Ankara, constituting the study sample. Research findings were examined within the scope of 3 main themes determined by content analysis. In this context, it has been concluded that SMEs in the sample have low awareness of Industry 4.0, and their readiness needs to be improved.