Exploring the Implementation of Industry 4.0: A Pilot Study on Assessing Readiness in Czech Food Enterprises

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to define the concept of Industry 4.0 and to create a pilot study of the implemented research - to propose a methodological approach to assess the readi-ness of food enterprises in the Czech Republic for Industry 4.0.Methodology: The results are based on research that focused on the readiness of 102 companies in the areas of strategy, leadership, customers, product, culture, employees and technology. The research focused on food companies in the Czech Republic.Findings: Based on the results of our own research, a factor analysis was used to create an index of the readiness of food enterprises in the Czech Republic for innovation. The absolute highest representation was found at the readiness level of 60-65%. On the contrary, there is no representation of enterprises in the range of 0-25% readiness.Research Limitation: Limitations of the paper include the time period in which the research was conducted. The COVID-19 pandemic certainly affected data and corporate approaches to innovation, with many firms being the first to curtail development projects. The empirical part is the first, i.e. pilot output of the research.Originality: The paper analyses the determinants of innovation activities in relation to Industry 4.0, focusing exclusively on companies in the food industry.