Impact of Digital Transformation 4.0 on Public Enterprises in Ecuador and Its Effects on Operational Productivity: A Case Study of EP PETROECUADOR Esmeraldas Refinery

Digital transformation represents a strategic factor for enhancing organizational performance in the energy sector; however, its impact on operational productivity in Latin American public enterprises remains understudied. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between Digital Transformation 4.0 and Operational Productivity at the Esmeraldas Refinery of EP PETROECUADOR, Ecuador’s most significant public oil-refining facility. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design was employed, with a structured survey administered to 200 employees and analyzed through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. The results confirmed a positive and statistically significant relationship between Digital Transformation 4.0 and Operational Productivity. Among the dimensions analyzed, Process Digitalization emerged as the strongest predictor of operational performance, followed by Digital Infrastructure, which recorded a favorable assessment among respondents, and overall Digital Transformation, which reflected a moderate level of strategic implementation within the organization. Digital Talent, while positively correlated with productivity, did not yield an independent significant effect within the joint regression model. These findings provide empirical evidence of the value of technological adoption in public industrial contexts and suggest that future research should incorporate mediating variables such as organizational culture, change management, and sustainability-oriented digital strategies to further explore this relationship.