The impact of digitalization on business performance: A study on manufacturing enterprises

In today's world of intensifying global competition, digitalization has become a crucial element in ensuring the sustainability of businesses and achieving competitive advantage. The effective use of digital tools, particularly in production processes, plays a critical role in improving business performance and efficiency. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of digitalization on business performance. To this end, a survey was prepared to identify the digital tools used in manufacturing businesses operating in Afyonkarahisar and to analyze their impact on business performance. The survey was administered to a total of 110 manufacturing businesses operating in Afyonkarahisar through face-to-face interviews between December 2023 and March 2024. The study concluded that digitalization has not yet become fully widespread in manufacturing businesses in Afyonkarahisar, but that digital tools positively impact performance, particularly in long-standing and large-scale businesses. Furthermore, the contribution of new-generation digital tools to business performance was found to be more significant than other digital tools.