TOWARDS A SHIPYARD 4.0: A CASE STUDY ON THE INTENDED UTILIZATION OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND INDUSTRY 4.0 MECHANISMS IN A COLOMBIAN SHIPYARD

As digital transformation and Industry 4.0 have become a path for organizations to strengthen their performance, create value and acquire competitive advantages in different industries and regions, its appeal has increased among companies from diverse sectors and government institutions in the Colombian economy, but limited generalizability and replicability has been found in current models, which pose difficulties for their translation into the Colombian shipyard industry. Thus, this research study assessed the pertinence of utilizing digital transformation and industry 4.0 technologies as an enabler for the achievement of organizational goals, while focusing on the Colombian shipyard industry. To do so, a case study with mixed methods approach was utilized to collect data from interviews and surveys with the members of a Colombian Shipyard; which after applying analytical procedures and techniques, yielded the existence of an alignment between the Industry 4.0 and the achievement of their operational goals, as well as the identification of the strengths, challenges and implications of deploying digital technologies and a digital transformation strategy for a Colombian shipyard. Moreover, this study contributed to the understanding of digital transformation processes in relation to the specific characteristic, metrics, and factors of the Colombian shipyard industry, and it is a step forward into the further development of applications within different Colombian sectors by academics and practitioners in the field.