The competitiveness of manufacturing in Poland and the other V4 countries against the backdrop of digital transformation challenges

Competitiveness is most frequently defined as an economy’s ability to cope with international competition and to ensure high employment and returns on production factors employed. Considering the importance of manufacturing in the economies of the Visegrad (V4) countries, is seems justified to examine the competitiveness of the economic sector, particularly in the perspective of the ongoing digital transformation. The article aims to present research findings regarding developments in the competitive position of manufacturing in Poland as compared to the V4 countries and to identify those countries’ preparedness for implementing changes resulting from the assumptions of the Industry 4.0 concept. The most significant inferences to be drawn from the analysis are discussed in the Conclusions section. Although the issue of competitiveness has been addressed by various economists and scholars, the existing body of publications still lacks investigations of manufacturing and the Visegrad countries. The analysis presented attempts to fill in the gap in that regard.