{"id":5783,"date":"2024-06-17T18:44:44","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T18:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/?page_id=5783"},"modified":"2026-03-20T09:35:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T09:35:11","slug":"press-releases","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/ro\/press-releases\/","title":{"rendered":"Press releases"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5783\" class=\"elementor elementor-5783\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-section-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-658e85a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"658e85a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2fbe5d1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"2fbe5d1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.18.0 - 04-12-2023 *\/\n.elementor-column .elementor-spacer-inner{height:var(--spacer-size)}.e-con{--container-widget-width:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer{width:var(--container-widget-width,var(--spacer-size));--align-self:var(--container-widget-align-self,initial);--flex-shrink:0}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container{height:100%;width:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer{height:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer>.elementor-spacer-inner,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer>.elementor-spacer-inner{height:var(--container-widget-height,var(--spacer-size))}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty{position:relative;min-height:22px;min-width:22px}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty .elementor-widget-empty-icon,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty .elementor-widget-empty-icon{position:absolute;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;margin:auto;padding:0;width:22px;height:22px}<\/style>\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cf0a6a4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cf0a6a4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.18.0 - 04-12-2023 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Digitalization does not enhance the profitability of automotive companies, but it improves asset efficiency<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bfaaa87 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"bfaaa87\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-712cf9c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"712cf9c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-94432d1 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"94432d1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/ro\/reports-and-materials-ro-ijpe\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">See the report in Romanian<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84ae96f e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84ae96f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46293a1 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"46293a1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/ro\/reports-and-materials-hu-ijpe\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">See the report in Hungarian<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f32026f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f32026f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.18.0 - 04-12-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>The use of modern digital technologies does not contribute to increasing the profitability of companies in the automotive industry, but it significantly improves asset efficiency, with effects becoming visible almost immediately \u2014 shows a study funded by the European Union. The research was conducted by the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Babe\u0219-Bolyai University (Romania), in collaboration with researchers from Corvinus University of Budapest (Hungary) and Aalborg University (Denmark). Focusing on the world\u2019s largest automotive manufacturers and suppliers, the study analyzed the financial effects of digitalization across multiple time horizons, including same-year, one-year, and two-year impacts. The results reveal that digital technologies have no measurable effect on profitability even after two years, while the efficiency of asset utilization shows a significant and nearly immediate improvement.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c16da21 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c16da21\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The automotive industry has always been a frontrunner in adopting modern technologies introduced by previous industrial revolutions, and this remains true for the digital technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) as well. For this reason, the BBU research focused on automotive companies and examined two categories of digital technologies: on one hand, traditional digital technologies associated with the Third Industrial Revolution (Industry 3.0), which emerged with the advent of electronic computing and manufacturing automation. These include industrial robots, automation systems, telecommunications technologies, and online operations. On the other hand, the study specifically investigated cutting-edge technologies from the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), including sensors, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnologies.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cThe research yielded several surprising results: the intensity of technology usage does not lead to increased profitability either in the short term (same year) or in the medium term (within 1\u20132 years) \u2013 not even when analyzing the world\u2019s most successful automotive companies. In contrast, the efficient use of assets improves both in the short and medium term. Comparing these two findings, the researchers concluded that the return on digital technologies is not straightforward: while the overall financial return on digitalization is positive, it is weak and typically takes at least two years to become noticeable,\u201d summarized Dr. Levente Sz\u00e1sz, Vice-Rector of BBU and coordinator of the research project.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c921141 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c921141\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.18.0 - 04-12-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ijpe_results-1024x1024.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-6669\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ijpe_results-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ijpe_results-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ijpe_results-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ijpe_results-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ijpe_results-12x12.png 12w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ijpe_results.png 1096w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a0fc134 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a0fc134\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\" data-start=\"2573\" data-end=\"2607\"><strong data-start=\"2573\" data-end=\"2607\">About the research methodology<\/strong><\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\" data-start=\"2609\" data-end=\"3090\">The automotive industry research was carried out within the framework of a \u20ac1.4 million EU-funded project led by UBB. The project, titled <em data-start=\"2747\" data-end=\"2850\">\u201cStrengthening the digitalization of businesses in Eastern Europe \u2013 a micro and macro-level approach\u201d<\/em> and running from 2023 to 2026, aims to support the adoption of digital technologies in business processes and help overcome implementation challenges, thereby increasing the level of digitalization in the Eastern European corporate sector.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\" data-start=\"3092\" data-end=\"4004\">The current study focused on companies among the world\u2019s 30 largest automakers and 100 largest automotive suppliers for which at least 5 annual reports were available from the 2012\u20132022 period. In total, the research analyzed 495 annual reports from 54 major corporations. The sample included several companies well-known in the region, such as Volkswagen AG, Toyota Motor Corp, Stellantis, and Mercedes-Benz Group. Based on the companies\u2019 annual reports, the researchers used text mining techniques, keyword-based analysis, and a machine learning algorithm to calculate digitalization indexes for both Industry 3.0 and Industry 4.0 technologies. Financial indicators were extracted from the companies\u2019 audited financial statements. Profitability was measured using the EBITDA margin, asset efficiency was measured by asset turnover (revenue\/total assets), and return was measured by return on equity (ROE).<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\">The full research is available for free here: <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ijpe.2025.109699\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"4064\" data-end=\"4106\" data-is-last-node=\"\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ijpe.2025.109699<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3e7c1a1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"3e7c1a1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-87b52bc elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"87b52bc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.18.0 - 04-12-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-divider{--divider-border-style:none;--divider-border-width:1px;--divider-color:#0c0d0e;--divider-icon-size:20px;--divider-element-spacing:10px;--divider-pattern-height:24px;--divider-pattern-size:20px;--divider-pattern-url:none;--divider-pattern-repeat:repeat-x}.elementor-widget-divider .elementor-divider{display:flex}.elementor-widget-divider .elementor-divider__text{font-size:15px;line-height:1;max-width:95%}.elementor-widget-divider .elementor-divider__element{margin:0 var(--divider-element-spacing);flex-shrink:0}.elementor-widget-divider .elementor-icon{font-size:var(--divider-icon-size)}.elementor-widget-divider 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.elementor-divider-separator:after,.elementor-widget-divider--separator-type-pattern:not(.elementor-widget-divider--view-line) .elementor-divider-separator:before,.elementor-widget-divider--separator-type-pattern:not([class*=elementor-widget-divider--view]) .elementor-divider-separator{width:100%;min-height:var(--divider-pattern-height);-webkit-mask-size:var(--divider-pattern-size) 100%;mask-size:var(--divider-pattern-size) 100%;-webkit-mask-repeat:var(--divider-pattern-repeat);mask-repeat:var(--divider-pattern-repeat);background-color:var(--divider-color);-webkit-mask-image:var(--divider-pattern-url);mask-image:var(--divider-pattern-url)}.elementor-widget-divider--no-spacing{--divider-pattern-size:auto}.elementor-widget-divider--bg-round{--divider-pattern-repeat:round}.rtl .elementor-widget-divider .elementor-divider__text{direction:rtl}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-divider,.e-con>.elementor-widget-divider{width:var(--container-widget-width,100%);--flex-grow:var(--container-widget-flex-grow)}<\/style>\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a8c7738 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"a8c7738\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-660e4ed elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"660e4ed\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Asian Automotive Industry Outpaces Europe in Digitalization<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-158c9f3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"158c9f3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-917dad2 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"917dad2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-136fe08 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"136fe08\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/ro\/reports-and-materials-ro-asia\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">See the report in Romanian<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-30da880 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"30da880\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a1b752 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"5a1b752\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/ro\/reports-and-materials-hu-asia\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">See the report in Hungarian<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d0454b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4d0454b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>In the automotive industry, the past decade has witnessed the dynamic expansion of Industry 4.0 technologies, as highlighted by a European Union-supported research project conducted by the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Babe\u0219-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca. Researchers from institutions such as Corvinus University of Budapest are also contributing to this study. At the same time, the largest automotive companies have not abandoned more traditional (digital) technologies. The fact that Asian companies are overtaking European ones in terms of digitalization is largely attributable to Asian automotive supplier firms.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4811a38 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4811a38\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The automotive industry plays a significant economic and employment role in every region, whether in Europe or East Asia (China, Japan). <strong>In Central Europe, it is also evident that the industry is undergoing profound transformations<\/strong>. The shift to electromobility and the challenges surrounding it are further intensifying the already fierce competition among automakers. <strong>Remaining competitive requires increased efficiency, which involves renewing manufacturing technologies and processes based on digital production.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-57b0fce elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"57b0fce\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"605\" height=\"607\" src=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Digitalization_EN.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-6410\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Digitalization_EN.png 605w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Digitalization_EN-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Digitalization_EN-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Digitalization_EN-12x12.png 12w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b43ba47 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b43ba47\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The 10-year analysis highlights a steady increase in both traditional and cutting-edge Industry 4.0 technologies in the automotive sector. Traditional technologies, such as robotics, radio-frequency identification (RFID), and algorithms, have grown by 15%, reaching a score of 54 on the researchers\u2019 0-100 digitalization scale. Meanwhile, advanced Industry 4.0 solutions, including IoT, smart machinery, AI, and simulations, have surged by 24%, reaching a score of 26.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cWhile Industry 4.0 solutions are advancing dynamically, traditional technologies remain widely used,\u201d explains Krisztina Demeter, Professor at Corvinus University and a member of the research team. \u201cTheir prevalence reminds us that Industry 4.0 innovations are built on the established technologies.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a270486 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"a270486\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"605\" height=\"607\" src=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Top5_EN.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-6412\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Top5_EN.png 605w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Top5_EN-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Top5_EN-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Top5_EN-12x12.png 12w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d1149f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d1149f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The study focused on the largest 30 automakers and the top 100 automotive suppliers by revenue, examining companies with at least five years of reports available from 2012-2022. Among the analyzed firms, 50% were Asian, 41% European, 7% North American, and 2% South American. The largest company in the sample, both in revenue and number of employees, was the Volkswagen Group.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cAs the automotive industry copes with challenges like electrification, enhancing efficiency remains critical. Understanding the digital readiness of market players is key in this highly competitive sector\u201d, said Krisztina Demeter.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ae23025 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ae23025\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"605\" height=\"606\" src=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Sample_EN.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-6411\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Sample_EN.png 605w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Sample_EN-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Sample_EN-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Sample_EN-12x12.png 12w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8fac176 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"8fac176\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-65ccfd0 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"65ccfd0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1baad9b elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"1baad9b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e70e5fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e70e5fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Digitalization: one word, two realities - what does it really mean for SMEs and multinationals?\nAn artificial intelligence-based analysis of executive interviews<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-49ec552 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"49ec552\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>The world of digitalization promises benefits for nearly all types of organizations, including businesses. Therefore, companies aim to digitalize an increasing number of processes. But how does this process differ for local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) compared to large multinational companies? An AI-based topic modelling approach was used to analyze 27 interviews with executives, demonstrating that company size and type can strongly influence how digitalization is approached and implemented. The findings show that local SMEs and large multinational companies approach digitalization very differently. SMEs aim to adopt digital technologies, but limited resources and operational pressures make this journey challenging. Their approach is mainly incremental and problem-focused. In contrast, multinational companies take a broader, more strategic approach. With established systems, skilled teams, and prior experience, they treat digitalization as an organization-wide transformation. Advanced technologies such as AI, robotics, and automation are already being implemented, enabling them to address digital challenges more confidently than SMEs. This contrast highlights a digital divide: while local SMEs are still catching up, large corporations are actively shaping the future of digital business.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e50e1a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8e50e1a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Digitalization is on the fast track, but resources are tight<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d74e701 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d74e701\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>In SMEs, a more focused and operationally-driven pattern of digitalization is visible.\u00a0<\/strong>Digitalization in SMEs appears to be more incremental and problem-oriented, shaped by limited resources and the need to deliver direct, short-term operational benefits rather than to develop broad and complex digital ecosystems.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\">When SMEs talk about digitalization, the dominant theme that emerges is about the \u201cdigitalization gap and strategy\u201d, suggesting that\u00a0<strong>SMEs perceive themselves as lagging behind; however, they at least have a strategy to catch up.<\/strong>\u00a0Executing this strategy can be challenging, as digitalization-related topics (such as Robotic automation, and Data management and analysis) are generally mentioned together with challenges related to IT project management and change, system integration, and ERP systems.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\">System integration and ERP-related challenges are clearly visible for SMEs and are interconnected with several other challenges, indicating the multitude of barriers SMEs have to overcome. Thus, digitalization is on the horizon for SMEs, but reaching it is difficult. Operational activities and issues (such as time management, inventory, efficiency, sales, and warehousing) are connected to robotic automation and IT project management and change. This indicates that\u00a0<strong>fast results and efficiency gains are the primary drivers of digitalization<\/strong>\u00a0and are expected outcomes of IT projects and change management initiatives.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\">SMEs also frequently mention the people involved and customer needs related to digitalization. This indicates that they are human resources remain an important factor in digital transformation and SMEs stay committed to engaging and supporting employees throughout the digitalization journey. At the same time, customer needs are also in focus, remaining an important consideration that needs to be integrated in digitalization projects.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d7e3e6b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d7e3e6b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"642\" src=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_1_SME-1021x1024.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-6855\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_1_SME-1021x1024.png 1021w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_1_SME-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_1_SME-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_1_SME-768x770.png 768w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_1_SME-1531x1536.png 1531w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_1_SME-12x12.png 12w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_1_SME.png 1993w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0643492 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0643492\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">From challenges to solution: multinationals lead the way in digitalization<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9200e28 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9200e28\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>At large multinationals, an interconnected digitalization landscape is observed.<\/strong> Main interconnected topics such as data integration and visualization; system integration; AI, robotics, and automation; and digital manufacturing organization <strong>indicates that digitalization in multinational companies is treated as a strategic, organization-wide transformation.<\/strong> When multinational companies talk about digitalization, the dominant theme is related to digitalization challenges and solutions, which is fundamentally different from the perspective of SMEs where mostly challenges are emphasized. While multinationals also face challenges related to digitalization, they appear to be more confident in identifying the appropriate solutions or have already addressed similar issues in previous digitalization projects.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e1f4d1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9e1f4d1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"642\" src=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_2_MNE-1021x1024.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-6856\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_2_MNE-1021x1024.png 1021w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_2_MNE-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_2_MNE-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_2_MNE-768x770.png 768w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_2_MNE-1531x1536.png 1531w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_2_MNE-12x12.png 12w, https:\/\/business-digitalization.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graph_2_MNE.png 1992w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7433dd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7433dd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Research methodology<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0bec3ba elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0bec3ba\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\">In this research, <strong>15 interviews with company managers at 5 large multinational companies <em>(across different countries)<\/em> <\/strong>and <strong>12 interviews from local SMEs<\/strong> <em>(located in <strong>Romania, Hungary and Denmark<\/strong>)<\/em> were analyzed. Among the multinational companies, the manufacturing and retail industries were highly represented. In the case of SMEs, the variety of industries was wider, with many different sectors represented (including manufacturing, trade and services as well).<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\">All interviews were semi-structured, following a predefined guideline while allowing space for interviewees to freely express their thoughts and experiences.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\">Each interview was transcribed, and the <strong>transcripts were analyzed using an AI-based topic modeling technique. <\/strong>The model identified relevant topics and calculated their similarity. <strong>Only high similarity values <\/strong>(<strong>0.60 or higher <\/strong>on a 0.00 &#8211; 1.00 scale)<strong> were highlighted on the figure, as these may enable meaningful conclusions <\/strong>about digitalization in multinational companies and SMEs. The separation by company type was necessary, as large multinational companies and local SMEs operate in significantly different ways.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-33c5582 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"33c5582\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Digitalization does not enhance the profitability of automotive companies, but it improves asset efficiency See the report in Romanian See the report in Hungarian The use of modern digital technologies does not contribute to increasing the profitability of companies in the automotive industry, but it significantly improves asset efficiency, with effects becoming visible almost immediately \u2014 shows a study funded by the European Union. The research was conducted by the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Babe\u0219-Bolyai University (Romania), in collaboration with researchers from Corvinus University of Budapest (Hungary) and Aalborg University (Denmark). Focusing on the world\u2019s largest automotive manufacturers and suppliers, the study analyzed the financial effects of digitalization across multiple time horizons, including same-year, one-year, and two-year impacts. The results reveal that digital technologies have no measurable effect on profitability even after two years, while the efficiency of asset utilization shows a significant and nearly immediate improvement. The automotive industry has always been a frontrunner in adopting modern technologies introduced by previous industrial revolutions, and this remains true for the digital technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) as well. For this reason, the BBU research focused on automotive companies and examined two categories of digital technologies: on one hand, traditional digital technologies associated with the Third Industrial Revolution (Industry 3.0), which emerged with the advent of electronic computing and manufacturing automation. These include industrial robots, automation systems, telecommunications technologies, and online operations. On the other hand, the study specifically investigated cutting-edge technologies from the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), including sensors, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnologies. \u201cThe research yielded several surprising results: the intensity of technology usage does not lead to increased profitability either in the short term (same year) or in the medium term (within 1\u20132 years) \u2013 not even when analyzing the world\u2019s most successful automotive companies. In contrast, the efficient use of assets improves both in the short and medium term. Comparing these two findings, the researchers concluded that the return on digital technologies is not straightforward: while the overall financial return on digitalization is positive, it is weak and typically takes at least two years to become noticeable,\u201d summarized Dr. Levente Sz\u00e1sz, Vice-Rector of BBU and coordinator of the research project. About the research methodology The automotive industry research was carried out within the framework of a \u20ac1.4 million EU-funded project led by UBB. The project, titled \u201cStrengthening the digitalization of businesses in Eastern Europe \u2013 a micro and macro-level approach\u201d and running from 2023 to 2026, aims to support the adoption of digital technologies in business processes and help overcome implementation challenges, thereby increasing the level of digitalization in the Eastern European corporate sector. The current study focused on companies among the world\u2019s 30 largest automakers and 100 largest automotive suppliers for which at least 5 annual reports were available from the 2012\u20132022 period. In total, the research analyzed 495 annual reports from 54 major corporations. The sample included several companies well-known in the region, such as Volkswagen AG, Toyota Motor Corp, Stellantis, and Mercedes-Benz Group. Based on the companies\u2019 annual reports, the researchers used text mining techniques, keyword-based analysis, and a machine learning algorithm to calculate digitalization indexes for both Industry 3.0 and Industry 4.0 technologies. Financial indicators were extracted from the companies\u2019 audited financial statements. Profitability was measured using the EBITDA margin, asset efficiency was measured by asset turnover (revenue\/total assets), and return was measured by return on equity (ROE). The full research is available for free here: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ijpe.2025.109699 Asian Automotive Industry Outpaces Europe in Digitalization See the report in Romanian See the report in Hungarian In the automotive industry, the past decade has witnessed the dynamic expansion of Industry 4.0 technologies, as highlighted by a European Union-supported research project conducted by the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Babe\u0219-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca. Researchers from institutions such as Corvinus University of Budapest are also contributing to this study. At the same time, the largest automotive companies have not abandoned more traditional (digital) technologies. The fact that Asian companies are overtaking European ones in terms of digitalization is largely attributable to Asian automotive supplier firms. The automotive industry plays a significant economic and employment role in every region, whether in Europe or East Asia (China, Japan). In Central Europe, it is also evident that the industry is undergoing profound transformations. The shift to electromobility and the challenges surrounding it are further intensifying the already fierce competition among automakers. Remaining competitive requires increased efficiency, which involves renewing manufacturing technologies and processes based on digital production. The 10-year analysis highlights a steady increase in both traditional and cutting-edge Industry 4.0 technologies in the automotive sector. Traditional technologies, such as robotics, radio-frequency identification (RFID), and algorithms, have grown by 15%, reaching a score of 54 on the researchers\u2019 0-100 digitalization scale. Meanwhile, advanced Industry 4.0 solutions, including IoT, smart machinery, AI, and simulations, have surged by 24%, reaching a score of 26. \u201cWhile Industry 4.0 solutions are advancing dynamically, traditional technologies remain widely used,\u201d explains Krisztina Demeter, Professor at Corvinus University and a member of the research team. \u201cTheir prevalence reminds us that Industry 4.0 innovations are built on the established technologies. The study focused on the largest 30 automakers and the top 100 automotive suppliers by revenue, examining companies with at least five years of reports available from 2012-2022. Among the analyzed firms, 50% were Asian, 41% European, 7% North American, and 2% South American. The largest company in the sample, both in revenue and number of employees, was the Volkswagen Group. \u201cAs the automotive industry copes with challenges like electrification, enhancing efficiency remains critical. Understanding the digital readiness of market players is key in this highly competitive sector\u201d, said Krisztina Demeter. Digitalization: one word, two realities &#8211; what does it really mean for SMEs and multinationals? An artificial intelligence-based analysis of executive interviews The world of digitalization promises benefits for nearly all types of organizations, including businesses. Therefore, companies aim to digitalize an increasing number of processes. 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