The Use of Mobile Applications for Sustainable Development of SMEs in the Context of Industry 4.0

Abstract

Sustainable development of technology in manufacturing motivates entrepreneurs to increasingly introduce technical innovations into their production process. In times of technical progress, the selection and support of qualified personnel are especially important. The process of introducing new technologies or innovations in an enterprise is closely related to the personnel involved in this process. Sustainable development of the enterprise is possible, subject to the sequence of processes, namely, ensuring the adaptation of personnel and collecting feedback. A mobile application can be innovative for a particular enterprise and ensure sustainable development and adaptation to Industry 4.0 technologies. Given the pressure of technology and the environment on small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises, it was proposed to conduct a practical study in the conditions of a typical enterprise of this category. To explore the attractiveness of mobile applications as a tool for enterprise sustainable development, an application with basic features that should help provide a framework for integrating Industry 4.0 technologies into the manufacturing process was proposed. In the course of the study, a cycle of innovations and a set of evaluation methods for some of them were proposed. With the help of the proposed assessment methods, as well as the practical use of the mobile application, it became clear that the proposed solution can create a positive effect. The success of this kind of innovation and the further sustainable development of the enterprise is possible if the gradual adaptation of employees will be ensured; it will enable further innovation.