Speaker
Description
The article presents the application of smart manufacturing and the digitalization of business processes in mechanical engineering enterprises in the Northeastern region of Bulgaria. The aim is to investigate the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on energy efficiency, productivity, and return on investment. The applied methodology uses energy indicators such as energy intensity, energy per employee, and return on investment, based on industrial data for the country and the region. The results reveal significant optimization potential, showing that even moderate measures to improve energy efficiency can generate substantial savings for an industry that, in recent years, has been characterized by high dynamics in both demand and supply. The report emphasizes the strategic importance of digital technologies for the sustainable industrial development of the region, while also noting that Bulgarian industrial enterprises are, on average, 2.7 times less energy-efficient than enterprises in the same sector in the EU. The situation in recent months, related to escalating geopolitical tensions including military actions in Ukraine and instability in the Middle East (notably Iran) has led to substantial volatility and a sharp increase in energy prices on global markets. Rising energy costs are directly reflected in final production prices, which worsens the price competitiveness of Bulgarian industrial enterprises and further amplifies the negative effect of their relatively low energy efficiency.