Communications - Scientific letters of the University of Zilina X:X | DOI: 10.26552/com.C.2026.036

A Socio-Technical Approach to Digitalization of Industrial and Transport and Logistics Companies

Marat Idrissov ORCID...1, Aliya Izbairova ORCID...1, Thomas Stahlecker ORCID...2, Gulmira Mukhanova ORCID...1, *, Botagoz Kuanyshbayeva ORCID...3
1 Satbayev University, Department of Transport Engineering and Logistics, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan
2 Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, Karlsruhe, Germany
3 Ruhr University Bochum, Institute of Development Research and Development Policy (IEE), Bochum, Germany

The paper is a contribution to the literature on digitalization barriers and digital readiness by offering an empirically grounded socio-technical interpretation of digital transformation constraints in a transition economy and by extending the discussion on the shift from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0. The purpose of the research was to develop a theoretical and methodological framework for the study of digitalization of industrial, transport and logistics enterprises based on a socio-technical approach. The work systematizes the limitations of digital transformation in the context of the evolution of industrial paradigms from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0. The theoretical provisions obtained from the conceptual basis for the subsequent empirical analysis of barriers to digitalization of enterprises in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Keywords: Industry 4.0, Industry 5.0, digital transformation, digital readiness, industry, logistics, Kazakhstan
Grants and funding:

This research was funded by the Committee of Science of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the Grant No. BR27198643 - “Development of digital competences of human capital in industry and logistics through cluster collaboration of science, education and industry”.

Conflicts of interest:

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Received: February 12, 2026; Accepted: May 30, 2026; Prepublished online: June 17, 2026 

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