Digital development of Slovenian wood industry

Abstract

The research examined the digital development of the Slovenian wood industry, especially the implementation of the concept of Industry 4.0 into practice. Within this, the implementation of specific technological pillars was studied, with the emphasis on smart factories and smart, innovative products. In the empirical part of the research, we prepared a survey and interviewed selected managers and entrepreneurs. We compared answers regarding sub-sectors, the size of the companies and the level of digitalization. The general results show that around half of the surveyed companies are already implementing the Industry 4.0 concept into their businesses, while the rest are beginners when speaking about digitalization. The biggest obstacles to the implementation of the concept are the high investments in equipment and the lack of financial support from the state. The lack of digital competencies, which is especially prevalent among older workers, is another major barrier that businesses face. Only 30 % of the surveyed companies are engaged in the production of smart products. We can conclude that digi-talization in the Slovenian wood industry is still at a relatively low level, but with the latest strategic orientations at both the state and business level, this situation will certainly improve in the near future.