Examination of Industry 4.0 Awareness, Perceptions, and Actions of Employees in Furniture and Board Businesses

Abstract Industry 4.0 (I 4.0) is a major transformation in manufacturing that is driven by the use of digital technologies. Furniture and board businesses are one of the subsectors of the forest products sector that can benefit from I 4.0. In this study, a survey was administered to 206 employees working in furniture and board businesses to understand their awareness of I 4.0, their perceptions regarding its obstacles and potential benefits and practices. The most widely recognized I 4.0 technology by employees is digital connectivity. Employees also see the potential for I 4.0 to help them implement new business models. However, the main obstacles to implementing I 4.0 are a lack of skilled workers and high costs. Employees of furniture businesses are less aware of I 4.0 than are employees of board businesses. Additionally, only a small percentage of businesses in both sectors have an I 4.0 or smart manufacturing strategy. The results of this study suggest that furniture and board businesses need to do more to raise awareness of I 4.0 and to develop strategies for implementing it. By doing so, they can improve their productivity and competitiveness in the global marketplace. This study was conducted on a relatively small sample in a limited area, so the generalizability of the results is low.