Determination of problems in transition to smart manufacturing model and suggestions for enterprises

Technological developments affect human life in economic, political, cultural and social areas. These technological developments led to industrial revolutions and three major industrial revolutions took place. These are the first industrial revolution in which production systems became mechanical by using water and steam power, the second industrial revolution in which mass production was carried out by using electric power and the third industrial revolution in which automation in production was provided by the introduction of information technologies. At the point where modern industry has arrived today, there is a process called Industry 4.0, which is the fourth phase of industrialization. Industry 4.0, which came into being with the digital transformation that occurred in industrial manufacturing and was first mentioned at the Hannover Fair in 2011, contains high-tech components. An innovative manufacturing model in which these components are involved and emerging as the ultimate goal of Industry 4.0 is called Smart Manufacturing. The aim of this study is to expose the problems faced by enterprises in transition to smart manufacturing processes and to reveal how enterprises find solutions to these problems. This study is a guide for enterprises that will make the transition to smart manufacturing. In-depth interviews were conducted through a semi-structured interview form with 10 participants from four companies of Turkish origin who agreed to take part in the research. Descriptive and content analysis techniques were applied to the data obtained from the interviews. It has been observed that enterprises face organizational, technological, economic and environmental problems during the transition to smart manufacturing. As a result of the study, problems encountered in the transition to smart manufacturing and their solutions were identified and suggestions were made to the researchers for future studies.