Tekstil Sektöründe Dijital Dönüşüm ve Tekstil Firmalarının Endüstri 4.0 Kavramsal Farkındalık Düzeyini Belirlemeye Yönelik Bir Çalışma

It is expected that as a new production model, Industry 4.0 will tremendously alter organizational life and work methods in many sectors in the near future by triggering digital transformation in manufacturing techniques. Thus, this research aims to determine the general level of conceptual awareness in textile sector regarding Industry 4.0 practices and the factors that are influential on it. With this aim, the employees of textile firms in Istanbul are contacted and a survey is conducted with the participation of 358 volunteers. Based on the results obtained from the statistical analysis of collected data, it is found that the Industry 4.0 conceptual awareness level of the firms in Turkish textile sector is found to be at moderate level; and this level can significantly vary depending on the firm’s operating period, size (the number of employees), production structure (whether it works as a contract manufacturer) and export status (whether it does export). Further, from an individual perspective, it is observed that while the level of Industry 4.0 conceptual awareness changes significantly with respect to the employee’s age, education level, position and working duration in the firm, it does not differ significantly according to the employee’s gender.