2. Kiss_Nedelka.indd 99Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117.DOI: 10.15201/hungeobull.69.2.2 Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 2020 (2) 99–117. Introduction In recent years Industry 4.0 has been the big- gest challenge for the Hungarian economy as well. The concept was first used in Germany in 2011 (known as Industrie 4.0 at that time) for a combination of measures to strategically develop the industry there (Hermann, M. et al. 2015; Bartodziej, C.J. 2017). In the in- ternational literature, however, it is known as Industry 4.0, but also referred to as Ad- vanced Manufacturing Technology, Smart Factory or Internet of Things (Fonseca, L.M. 2018). Industry 4.0 essentially means new technologies that are based on digitalisa- tion, automation and robotisation, and which are revolutionising industrial production. However, the impact of Industry 4.0 goes far beyond industry and will transform the economy and society as a whole (Kovács, O. 2017). Today we are still at the beginning of this fundamental transformation from In- dustry 3.0, characterised by human-operated machines, towards production by automatic machines communicating with each other and with humans too (Devezas, T. et al. 2017). There is no doubt that digital transforma- tion, and these revolutionary changes will occur in different ways in both space and time (Rüssmann, M. et al. 2015). The trans- formation of countries and regions depends largely on their starting position and differ- ent capabilities (Šlander, S. and Wostner, P. 2019). Among the initial conditions the focus in this study is on the geographical as- sessment of the infrastructure and use of the information and communication technolo- gies underlying the spreading and unfold- ment of Industry 4.0. After all, these (such as computer or internet access) are very im- Geographical approach of Industry 4.0 based on information and communication technologies at Hungarian enterprises in connection with industrial space Éva KISS1 and Erzsébet NEDELKA2 Abstract In the short history of Hungarian industry there were relevant changes several times, which had a great impact not only on industrial production and employment, but also on the spatial pattern of industry. After the regime change and latest economic crisis Industry 4.0 or/and the fourth industrial revolution mean(s) newer challenge. Due to information and communication technologies (ICT), which can be considered the basis of Industry 4.0 radical changes can be expected in all fields of life and numerous questions will emerge. The primary aim of this paper is to reveal the geography of older and newer information and communica- tion technologies and their relationship with the spatial pattern of Hungarian industry. The main question is whether the digital divide follows the industrial divide in the Hungarian economic space or not. According to the analysis based on different ICT and industrial indicators, there is no close correlation between the digital and industrial spaces. The geography of Industry 4.0 is characterised by a sharp North–South division. Keywords: Industry 4.0, fourth industrial revolution, ICT, industry, enterprise, spatial pattern, Hungary Received November 2019, Accepted March 2020. 1 Geographical Institute, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary; University of Sopron, Alexandre Lamfalussy Faculty of Economics, H-9400 Sopron, Erzsébet u. 9. Hungary. E-mail: kiss.eva@csfk.mta.hu 2 University of Sopron, Alexandre Lamfalussy Faculty of Economics, H-9400 Sopron, Erzsébet u. 9. Hungary. Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117.100 portant to the widespread application of new technologies and, thus, to the realisation of the fourth industrial revolution. Therefore, it does matter what characterises the provision of ICT to companies and their application. Their geographical examination, which has so far been little in the literature, provides indicative information to some extent, on the one hand, on the spatial differences in the use of ICT in Hungarian companies, and on the other hand, on how advanced they are in Industry 4.0. It can be assumed that the ICT indicators of enterprises are more favourable in regions in Hungary with more advanced industry, the verification of which is also one of the tasks of this analysis. The present study consists of five main parts. Following the introduction, the con- cept of Industry 4.0 and fourth industrial revolution is discussed, and then the major conditions and characteristics of ICT at enter- prises based on special literature are evalu- ated with particular regard to the geographi- cal aspect. After the chapter on the methods, the spatial disparities of the older and more recent application of ICT by Hungarian companies are explored in the third part. Correlations between the info-communica- tion maturity and the spatial structure of the industry are analysed in the fourth part be- fore the conclusions. Theoretical background Terminology and main research directions There have been three industrial revolutions over the last two hundred years, each of which had its own specifics, driving forces and major innovations. These appeared and spread dif- ferentiated in space and led to huge changes not only in industry, but also in the economy and society (Mokyr, J. 1985; Jensen, M.C. 1993; Abonyi, F. and Miszlivetz, F. 2016). The fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0, driven by nine fundamental technologies (Big Data, Autonomous robots, Simulation, Horizontal and vertical integration, Internet of Things, Cybersecurity, Cloud service, Additive manufacturing, Augmented real- ity) began to unfold in the early 21st century, however, the use of the word only spread rapidly in recent years. While the third in- dustrial revolution (Industry 3.0), also known as the revolution of the computer or digital revolution (Schwab, K. 2016), focused on the automation of individual machines and pro- cesses, the fourth industrial revolution (or Industry 4.0) focuses on the digitisation and automation of the entire process of produc- tion. Machines and production are organised into smart networks, integrating entire pro- duction chains, while deepening vertical and horizontal integration. Since it is highly likely that the current digital transformation will also result in radical changes in all aspects of life, many of which are not yet visible to- day, it can be considered rather revolution, by all means in the long-term, than evolution (Geissbauer, R. et al. 2016; Demeter, K. et al. 2019). However, some scientists supporting the latter consider the fourth industrial revo- lution being essentially the result of the fur- ther development of the third one, in other words, its completion (Holodny, E. 2017). The fact that the terms Industry 4.0 and fourth industrial revolution are not fully cleared today can be explained partly by the above (Hermann, M. et al. 2015; Fonseca, L.M. 2018). It has not been decided either whether the two concepts have the same or different meanings. Thoben, K.D. et al. (2017) used them as synonyms because they believe these concepts have the potential to disrupt the entire conventional approach to manu- facturing. In contrast, others think that in a closer sense Industry 4.0 refers to changes in the industry that cause significant trans- formation in the organisation and method of production, management, technology, etc. (Nagy, J. 2019). In short, Industry 4.0 means „the trend towards a digital revolution in manufacturing…” (Santos, C. et al. 2017, 972) or „…a collective term for technologies and concepts of value chain organisation” (Hermann, M. et al. 2015, 11). According to 101Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117. Brettel, M. et al. (2014, 43), „ … Industry 4.0 is a popular term to describe the imminent changes of the industry landscape, particu- larly in the production and manufacturing industry of the developed world.” At the same time, the concept of the fourth indus- trial revolution can be interpreted more broadly because it represents changes in the economy and society as a whole, most of which are not yet known. In this study, the two concepts are used as Industry 4.0 refers to initial technological changes that then lead to deeper, more comprehensive economic and social transformations. In fact, this is what Schwab, K. (2016) refers to: namely, Industry 4.0 is no different than one of the manifestations of this revolution. Although Industry 4.0 or the fourth in- dustrial revolution had only begun to gain ground in recent years, still the available, mostly foreign literature is abundant. Various experts have studied the new industrial revo- lution in many different ways. However, they – probably due to the short time elapsed – have only focused on the history of industrial revolutions, the interpretation of concepts and the role of the recent industrial revolu- tion in industrial production, technical and technological, production organisation and structural issues, as well as, its impact on businesses (Zezulka, F. et al. 2016; Devezas, T. et al. 2017; Reischauer, G. 2017; Ibarra, D. et al. 2018; Luthra, S. and Mangla, S.K. 2018). This is no coincidence, because changes, as ever in history and also now, have appeared in the industry first. Major transformation can also be expected in the field of – not in the or- der of importance – transport, energy, infra- structure, well-being (Caylar, P-L. et al. 2016; Santos, C. et al. 2017). Moreover, all these changes will not leave the economic space in- tact, however, their manifestation will also be differentiated. Brettel, M. et al. (2014), who classified the publications of eight scientific journals based on three topics (individualized production, production network, end-to-end engineering in virtual process chain) and de- fined research directions within them, also demonstrated that greatest attention has been given to the industrial and production con- nections of new technologies in recent years. At the same time, the examination of Industry 4.0 in a geographical context has re- ceived a more modest focus so far (Nagy, Cs. and Molnár, E. 2018; Nick, G. 2018; Nick, G. et al. 2019). This can be explained, among oth- ers, by the novelty nature of the phenomenon and by the fact that the spatial manifestation of the changes takes longer, and that some of them no longer occur in real space. In spite of this they (or at least part of them) will or can have spatial implications, but they render real space less relevant. Although the role of virtual world will increase and in the digital ecosystems different players get connected and do businesses (Winter, J. 2020), this does not mean “the end of geography” (Tranos, E. and Nijkamp, P. 2013). The closer fusion of industri- al production and ICT results in the intercon- nectedness and complex relationship between the real and virtual worlds in cyber-physical systems (Ibarra, D. et al. 2018). This presents another challenge to economic geography. Characteristics and conditions of ICT at enterprises There are a number of conditions for the im- plementation and fulfilment of Industry 4.0. One of these is the availability of the neces- sary ICT infrastructure because it is the back- bone of a connected economy (Bouée, C-E. and Schaible, S. 2015). Regarding info-com- munication tools, the computer is perhaps the most important and the Internet is also indispensable connecting virtual and physi- cal systems and revolutionising the global value chain organisation (Schwab, K. 2016). ICTs play a very important role not only in the development of individual enterprises but also in the development of the economy as a whole (Müller, J. M. et al. 2018). Over the last decade, the development of ICT in- frastructure has also intensified in Hungary and demand for services that help the econ- omy (mainly industrial production) or even the population in the digital transition has Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117.102 increased. This will have an impact on the global competitiveness of individual regions and countries (Barsi, B. 2003) and can have a positive impact on it, while there will be also marked changes in production, consumption and trade. The speed and success of certain areas for the use of new technologies depends heavily on how enterprises are supplied with ICT and the readiness of the enterprises to use them. It is therefore not surprising that a number of recent studies addressed the digital maturity of businesses (Schmidt, H. 2014; Caylar, P-L. et al. 2016). According to a survey by McKinsey & Co. in 2016, which included more than 300 manufacturing professionals from Germany, Japan and the US, barely 16 per cent of in- dustrial manufacturers had a comprehensive Industry 4.0 strategy and only 24 per cent indicated that efforts were made to work out one (Caylar, P-L. et al. 2016). The majority, however, are not prepared for the new techno- logical revolution, therefore Caylar, P-L. et al. (2016, 7) laid out some key tasks (“… prioritize and scale up, adopt a test-and-learn approach, put foundations in place, treat data as a com- petitive advantage, work across functions and manage change the organisation …”) for companies to help them move forward in the fourth industrial revolution. Sommer, L. (2015) called attention to that Industry 4.0 should be implemented suc- cessfully not only in large enterprises in Germany, but also in small and medium- sized enterprises, because both groups play a relevant role in employment. Furthermore, it is necessary to encourage the progress of small and medium-sized enterprises in Industry 4.0 because the interconnectedness of the economy only allows for a limited technological gap between small and large enterprises. If the digital gap between the two groups is too large, co-operation could be hindered. The experience of research in Hungary also supported the assumption that the chances and opportunities of large multi- national companies and that of SMEs are not the same in Industry 4.0, although the lat- ter also have advantages (e.g. organisational factors are less complex, lower profitability requirements, less technological depend- ence) compared to the former (Horváth, D. and Szabó, Zs.R. 2019). However, if smaller businesses are unable to adapt to new chal- lenges, they can easily become victims of the industrial revolution (Sommer, L. 2015). And this danger is not only a threat to German SMEs, but also to Hungarian ones. Not only the size of companies but also the origin of their owner(s) can have relevant impacts on the process of Industry 4.0. The research carried out in Eastern Hungary in 2019 has proved that Industry 4.0 is more advanced in the companies with foreign interest (Nagy, Cs. et al. 2020). Many factors limiting the realisation of Industry 4.0 have been identified in previous researches that, despite their diversity, can be divided into a number of major catego- ries (e.g. inadequate qualification of human resources, technological, infrastructure defi- ciencies, scarce financial resources, organi- sational problems) (Horváth, D. and Szabó, Zs.R. 2019). The weight of different factors is different depending on the size and sector of the enterprise. The lack of a well-qualified workforce is the most important limiting fac- tor in the case of small and medium-sized enterprises, while in multinational compa- nies organisational and technological fac- tors are the most important. In many cases, Hungarian businesses also have problems with the lack of adequate ICT infrastructure or, even if available, it is not fully suited to make the transformation to Industry 4.0 (Erdei, E. 2019). Other research emphasized the lack of human and financial resources in German businesses as an obstacle. These resources would be important because they could help companies to transform their in- ternal structure, improving thereby the abil- ity of businesses to receive new ICT (DIHK 2015). In the beginning many small and medium-sized enterprises lacked interest in Industry 4.0 in Germany partly because they did not see information security and data protection. And because of this lack of trust there was fear that the technological transfor- 103Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117. mation of the country will fall behind in the fourth industrial revolution (Eisert, R. 2014). The largest global survey to date, involv- ing 2,000 businesses from 26 countries in nine major industries emphasized that new technology is not the biggest challenge for companies, but the lack of the digital culture and qualification in the case of their workers necessary for implementing Industry 4.0, and this needs to be developed (Geissbauer, R. et al. 2016). According to a Czech survey in 2017 the lack of accurate information on the ben- efits of Industry 4.0 is also hampering the re- alisation of the fourth industrial revolution. This is why several companies in Czechia did not attach much importance to consider Industry 4.0 and to prepare for it, and in the long-term this could result in a serious lag in development (Kopp, J. and Basl, J. 2017). To avoid this, the EU and national governments help companies (mostly SMEs) and regions (mostly less developed) in different ways (funding, education) particularly from 2014 to be able to prepare for the digital trans- formation (Nick, G. 2018; Bailey, D. and De Propris, L. 2019; Šlander, S. and Wostner, P. 2019). In Hungary there also have been special strategy programs and several kinds of funds for supporting enterprises in the transition of Industry 4.0, particularly since 2016. But so far not so many enterprises have competed for those (Nick, G. 2018). Although many German enterprises did not even know the concept of Industry 4.0 in 2014 (Eisert, R. 2014), in 2016 the results of the global survey showed that enterprises in Germany and Japan would be the most ad- vanced among the countries in digitalisation within five years, while the same will be true for America among the continents in 2021 (Geissbauer, R. et al. 2016). Although the level of digitalisation may increase in the coming years, thus, globalisation as well, regional dif- ferences may remain significant depending on local conditions (Geissbauer, R. et al. 2016). It is particularly important to know the charac- teristics of each location (e.g. ICT infrastruc- ture, qualification and capabilities of work- force), the social and economic environment of the enterprises there, as those can strongly determine the competitiveness of a given area (Šlander, S. and Wostner, P. 2019). It is most likely that areas with more ad- vanced economy and more advanced in- dustry are in a better position from the view point of ICT infrastructure and application (Schwab, K. 2016; Luthra, S. and Mangla, S.K. 2018). A number of researches have now shown that there may be significant differ- ences in the spatial distribution of ICT at dif- ferent spatial levels (Grasland, L. and Puel, G. 2007). Within the EU Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark and the United Kingdom are the leading, while Italy, Poland, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria are the tail- enders following Hungary, despite a signifi- cant increase in e.g. internet access in coun- tries in the latter group, for example, between 2010 and 2016 (DESI 2019). The close correla- tion between economic development (GNI/ person) and internet use was confirmed by our previous correlation study using the SPSS software. The Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.846 (Balog, Zs. et al. 2018). Digital development varies within coun- tries as well. This may be due to a number of reasons (e.g. geographical location, social, economic, infrastructure, etc. factors), how- ever, the fact that the needs of each industry for new technologies and their different digi- tal development may also contribute to it. The industries that dominate the economy of a given area can have a strong impact on the digital maturity of enterprises there. The geographical differences of industries may also have an impact on the spatial pro- gress of Industry 4.0. Industry is one of those sectors of the economy where Industry 4.0 develops fast and it is much more advanced than in other industries like tourism or agri- culture (Berta, O. 2018; DESI 2019). Thus, in- dustry has its first benefit and positive impact (Caylar, P-L. et al. 2016; Geissbauer, R. et al. 2016). In line with international experiences, it can therefore be also assumed that indus- try is the sector in Hungary where the fourth industrial revolution is more advanced. Consequently, the spatial pattern of digital Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117.104 development may be closely related to the spatial concentration of industrial production (Kiss, É. 2002, 2010). Its verification is also at- tempted in this study, while also exploring the spatial characteristics of the application of new technologies in Hungarian enterprises. Considering the theoretical foundations of the paper the main research question is how the “digital divide” relates to the “industrial divide” in the economic space of Hungary. Data and research methods This study is based on the analysis of the rel- evant literature and official statistical data and, as well as, the cartographic representa- tion and evaluation of the rankings by coun- ty of various indicators. The geographical context was explored using two indicator systems: one related to ICT and the other to the industry. In both complex indicator systems there were several variables, which are detailed in the tables. Two groups were formed out of the 20 ICT indicators. The first group – “old” or traditional ICT indicators – included those that had a long history of statistics and a longer track record in operat- ing enterprises (e.g. computers and the Inter- net). The so-called “new” ICT indicators (e.g. cloud service, 3D printing) have started to spread in businesses in recent years and can be more directly linked to Industry 4.0. Only a few of the studied ICT indicators – due to length limitation – are presented (in four fig- ures) with the most significant regional dif- ferences and which are more representative of industrial enterprises. Ten indicators were used to illustrate the regional differences in the Hungarian industry. The selected indicators included extensive and intensive ones as well. The former rep- resents the amount and size of the elements of a factor (e.g. number of enterprises), while the latter are weighted averages obtained by the merging of the elements (e.g. computer per 1,000 enterprises). Necessary data on the info-communication capabilities of enterprises, i.e. the database of the study, were provided by accessible offi- cial statistical data with a county breakdown (NUTS-3 level) for 20 regional units (the capi- tal Budapest and 19 counties). The novelty of the topic is also shown by the fact data collection of many ICT indicators, especially in the case of the new ones, has only started in recent years. Therefore, the focus was on static rather than dynamic analysis due to the lack of longer time series. For each indica- tor only the most recent available data were used. The one to two-year difference in the year of origin of the data did not hinder the interpretation of spatial differences. ICT data were only available by counties, as data by settlements would have allowed the identification of certain large compa- nies, and this is not permitted by the Data Protection Act. Considering its content, the information and communication (IC) indus- try comprises three different levels of net- work: physical infrastructure, the services they create and their use (Houzet, S. 2007). These levels are also represented by the ICT indicators selected to identify spatial differ- ences. Since the studied ICT data cover all Hungarian enterprises, they only provide in- direct information about the industry, which accounted for 9.2 per cent of all corporate businesses in Hungary in 2018. (Industry is the secondary sector of the economy and includes mining, manufacturing and electric- ity generation, gas, steam and water supply.) This is a very low value, but if we look at the importance of industry, e.g. based on its share of gross value added, a much higher value (58.7%) is obtained compared to other economic sectors. Industry concentrates 11.4 per cent of working companies with foreign interest (more than 2,500 enterprises). This is worth mentioning because multinational enterprises tend to have better digital pre- paredness (Nagy, Cs. et al. 2020) and because they also played a decisive role in shaping the spatial pattern of the industry (Kiss, É. 2002, 2010). Studying the spatial structure of ICT and industry was supported by summarizing the 105Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117. county rankings of the various indicators. The data for each indicator were available for 20 regional units and their values were indicated by ranking numbers from 1 to 20. Number 1 referred to the most favourable area regarding the given indicator, while 20 was the most unfavourable position. If the value of the indicator of two spatial units was the same, they were given the same rank number. The cumulative rank that is gener- ated by aggregating the rank numbers is a complex indicator that reveals geographi- cal characteristics. The “old” and “new” of ICT indicators were also plotted separately based on their cumulative rank due to their spatial characteristics. Then a figure showing the rank numbers of all ICT indicators were created. Based on it, the regional types of the digital advance of Hungarian enterprises can be clearly determined. The figure of the spatial structure of the industry based on the cumulative rankings of the county values of the industrial indicators was compared with that of the ICT to reveal the spatial similarities and differences and to answer the question whether the spatial patterns of industrial and digital maturity are closely intertwined or not. Regional differences in information and communication technologies Old indicators Counties with favourable and unfavourable positions can now be clearly distinguished based on the ranking number of the values of the following ten old ICT indicators (ICTo): � ICTo-1: Number of IC enterprises per 1,000 enterprises in 2018; � ICTo-2: Number of IC employees per 1,000 employees in 2018; � ICTo-3: Use of personal computers and work stations in enterprises in 2018, %; � ICTo-4: Use of internet in enterprises in 2018, %; � ICTo-5: Number of computers per 1,000 enterprises in 2017; � ICTo-6: Ratio of large computers within the computer equipment of enterprises in 2017, %; � ICTo-7: Ratio of employees using comput- ers in enterprises in 2016, %; � ICTo-8: Ratio of employees using internet in enterprises in 2016, %; � ICTo-9: Ratio of employees using mobile web in enterprises in 2016, %; � ICTo-10: Ratio of enterprises providing re- mote access for their employees in 2016, %. If a county has got several low rank num- bers, it means that the county is in a good position in the supply of different old ICT (Table 1). The number of information and commu- nication enterprises is important because they provide essential services to businesses in other fields of the economy thereby they contribute to the realisation of Industry 4.0 and – in wider sense – the fourth industrial revolution. In 2018 there were more than 64,000 IC enterprises operating in Hungary and their national average was 36 IC en- terprises per 1,000 enterprises. However, the county average was everywhere below the national average except for the capital city and Pest county. This can be explained by less favourable conditions of factors at- tracting IC enterprises (e.g. technological background, infrastructure development, economic environment, market size, social factors, workforce training, cultural milieu) (Kanalas, I. 2004). In 2018, 63 per cent of the enterprises of the IC industry were concen- trated in the region of Budapest, in contrast, in Békés, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok or Szabolcs- Szatmár-Bereg counties only one to two per cent. The spatial pattern of the employees of IC industry is similar to this. The high value of Budapest (361 people per 1,000 employees) can be explained primarily by the size of the city and its central role in the country, among many other factors. According to a research, the classification of towns of the Hungarian town network into IC types depends most on the size, historical traditions, economic, administrative role and geographical loca- tion of the town (Rechnitzer, J. et al. 2003). Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117.106 As computers became widespread their use and that of the Internet by enterprises is already common today. In 2018, over 90 per cent of enterprises in all counties use com- puters, and the use of the internet fell short of 90 per cent in only a few counties (e.g. Jász-Nagykun- Szolnok, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg) suggesting small regional differ- ences. In terms of both indicators, Fejér county was at the forefront because the ratio of enterprises using computers (96%) and the Internet (93%) was the highest there. Computers are used for different purposes, but there are not relevant differences by county in the ways how they are being used. The most often (in the 50–60% of Hungarian companies) computers are used for emailing while in 25–35 per cent of companies for administrative tasks. The applications of software are the most rarely, only 10–20 per cent of enterprises use those. In Hungary, there were more than 1.3 million computers in en- terprises with more than 10 em- ployees in 2018. On average 779 computers were used per 1,000 enterprises, with more than dou- ble that value in the capital city (1,733). The outstandingly high number is the result of a particu- larly high spatial concentration (41%) of businesses. In the north- ern counties of Transdanubia, the number of computers was between 700 and 900 per 1,000 enterprises. Worst computer sup- ply was found along the southern and eastern borders, as well as in Nógrád county, where only a quarter of businesses had com- puters. The reasons can be found in the socio-economic conditions of the counties with roots dating back long in history (Figure 1). Ta bl e 1. R an ki ng o f o ld IC T (I C T o) * in di ca to rs b y co un ty in H un ga ry , 2 01 6– 20 18 C ap it al , c ou nt y IC T o- 1 IC T o- 2 IC T o- 3 IC T o- 4 IC T o- 5 IC T o- 6 IC T o- 7 IC T o- 8 IC T o- 9 IC T o- 10 C um ul at ed ra nk in g B ud ap es t Pe st Fe jé r K om ár om -E sz te rg om V es zp ré m G yő r- M os on -S op ro n V as Z al a B ar an ya So m og y T ol na B or so d -A ba új -Z em pl én H ev es N óg rá d H aj d ú- B ih ar Já sz -N ag yk un -S zo ln ok Sz ab ol cs -S za tm ár -B er eg B ác s- K is ku n B ék és C so ng rá d 1 2 3 4 8 7 11 14 4 17 12 9 12 9 14 14 20 17 19 6 1 2 5 7 11 3 4 8 9 14 18 12 6 10 19 16 20 15 16 13 13 7 1 1 4 3 6 5 17 16 19 10 12 11 15 18 20 8 14 8 14 6 1 3 7 3 9 7 18 17 15 12 13 10 15 19 20 2 11 3 1 5 4 2 8 3 6 17 16 11 12 7 9 18 13 10 20 14 19 15 19 16 8 16 18 20 2 12 8 5 6 15 12 12 11 3 8 1 3 6 1 2 9 7 5 8 4 18 11 9 15 3 6 17 11 19 20 14 16 11 1 6 16 3 17 10 14 15 2 9 8 10 7 19 4 20 13 12 18 5 1 4 13 6 12 2 13 9 5 10 16 15 17 20 3 19 11 7 18 7 1 2 3 6 8 5 3 7 12 20 18 10 13 10 13 17 19 15 16 9 2 1 4 3 8 5 6 13 9 15 17 10 12 16 14 19 20 11 18 7 *F or th e d en om in at io n of th e in d ic at or s se e th e te xt . S ou rc e: B as ed o n th e d at a of H un ga ri an C en tr al S ta ti st ic al O ffi ce In fo rm at io n d at ab as e. 107Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117. The ratio of large computers within all computers of enterprises has a very specific spatial structure, because it is almost the op- posite of computers per 1,000 inhabitants. The latter has reached a considerable num- ber in the northern half, while the former has high numbers in the southern part of the country. According to the definition of the Statistical Office large computers are non- portable computers or, alternatively, com- puters longer than 50 cm in all directions. This suggests that large computers are more common in certain industries and in larger enterprises. Their share reached the highest level (75%) in Bács-Kiskun county, followed by Vas and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok counties with 60 per cent and 59 per cent respectively. This is mainly due to the car manufacturers and/or their suppliers there. The share of employees using computers in businesses is now surely much higher than it was in 2016. Fewest employees worked with computers at their workplace in Szabolcs- Szatmár-Bereg county (31%) and the most in the capital city (58%), however, in the vast majority of the country their proportion var- ied around 35–38 per cent, that is below the national average (45%). The ratio of employ- ees using computers is especially high in the northern part of the country, North of the Nagykanizsa–Dunaújváros–Tiszaújváros line (Figure 2). On average, one in four employees used the internet in enterprises in 2016, and this has certainly improved since then. The situa- tion is more favourable only in the capital city with almost one in three employees used com- puters. The value of this indicator was also high (23–25%) in Baranya, Hajdú-Bihar and Csongrád counties, which are important high- er education centres. Even in Jász-Nagykun- Szolnok county with the lowest value (17%) only a few per cent fewer people used the internet in enterprises indicating not marked spatial differences. In Slovakia, low ratio of internet availability has been identified as an indicator of periphery situation, which has shown close connection with some economic and social-demographic periphery indicators (Rosina, K. and Hurbánek, P. 2013). A few years ago mobile internet was used by 11 per cent of employees in businesses. In 2016, enterprises in the belt from Nógrád county to Békés county except for Heves coun- ty were in the worst situation, where only a few percent of workers used mobile internet. This can also be attributed to the unfavourable overall social and economic development of the region. GDP per capita was also among the lowest in this region in 2017, reaching 43–65 per cent of the national average. The share of enterprises providing remote access to workers is highest in the capital city (60%) and in its region (51%) which can be Fig. 1. Number of computers per 1,000 enterprises by county in Hungary, 2017. Source: Data of Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Fig. 2. Ratio of employees using computers in enter- prises by county in Hungary, 2016. Source: Data of Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117.108 attributed mainly to the importance of the service sector. This type of work is not typi- cal for workers in the industry or directly in production. The ratio of such enterprises is also high in Northern Transdanubia. In the eastern and southern part of the country, however, this value is well below the nation- al average (48%) for probably a number of reasons (e.g. less remote working, less trust in it, industrial affiliation of enterprise). New indicators The first data available on the application and spreading of new technologies in Indus- try 4.0 are from 2018 and show that they are not very common yet. This is also supported by experience in the EU. Digital technolo- gies (e.g. electronic exchange of information, social media, cloud services, online trading) were integrated by small ratio of enterpris- es in Hungary (5–15%) in 2019. Therefore, Hungarian companies were among the worst performers regarding EU member states (DESI, 2019). Based on the index measur- ing the development of digital economy and society (Digital Economy and Society Index – DESI), Hungary is 23rd among the 28 mem- ber states of the EU between 2017 and 2019 (DESI, 2019). (DESI includes the following in- dicators: connectivity, human capital, use of internet services, integration of digital tech- nology, digital public services.) Although the country’s digital development has improved over this period (from 40% to 45%), it is still below the EU average (53%). Consequently, counties with favourable and unfavourable positions can be also dis- tinguished based on the ranking number of the values of the following ten new ICT (ICTn) indicators: � ICTn-1: Purpose of mobile web use: use of software application, as a percentage of enterprises in 2018; � ICTn-2: Ratio of enterprises using cloud based services in 2018, %; � ICTn-3: Cloud based service: use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application, as a percentage of enterprises in 2018, %; � ICTn-4: Ratio of enterprises using service robots in 2018, %; � ICTn-5: Ratio of enterprises using indus- trial robots in 2018, %; � ICTn-6: Ratio of enterprises using their own 3D printer in 2017, %; � ICTn-7: Ratio of enterprises where 3D printing was used for the following pur- poses: manufacturing moulds, tools, parts, semi-finished products for sale in 2017, %; � ICTn-8: Ratio of enterprises using 3D service provided by other enterprises in 2017, %; � ICTn-9: Ratio of enterprises performing Big Data analysis: with their own employees in 2017, %; � ICTn-10: Ratio of enterprises performing Big Data analysis: with external, outside the enterprise, service providers in 2017, %. The use of new ICTs has reached mostly only a few per cent, however, their spatial distribution is characterised by some sharp and unconventional differences (Table 2). Only two of the new ICT indicators had relatively high values: namely, the number of enterprises using mobile internet for soft- ware applications and that of enterprises using cloud-based services. Values of the former indicator varied between 10.6 per cent (Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county) and 23.8 per cent (Budapest), while in the case of the latter values ranged from 10.2 per cent (Békés county) to 24.7 per cent (Budapest). Enterprises using mobile internet for soft- ware were more abundant in the northern part of Transdanubia, the capital city region and in Northern Hungary, while those using cloud based service were more concentrat- ed in a couple of areas (Budapest, Baranya, Somogy and Pest counties). The lowest values (usually 1% or less) were in the use of service robots, i.e. this is the least prevalent in the counties. Only a fraction of enterprises used service ro- bots. The share of such enterprises was the highest (1.3%) in Győr-Moson-Sopron county in 2018. At the same time, industrial robots were used in a higher ratio (2–6%). 109Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117. Generally, robots perform work that, for example, involve heavy physical work, may have nega- tive health effects, require high accuracy or it is quite monoto- nous work. Automotive indus- try is the primary user of robots, which is followed by electron- ics, metal industry, chemicals and food industry (Nagy, Cs. and Molnár, E. 2018). As a con- sequence, the spatial pattern of industrial robots is closely con- nected to these branches. Most of the enterprises using industrial robots can be found in Northern Transdanubia (Fejér 5.7%, Komárom-Esztergom 5.6%, Győr-Moson-Sopron 5.3% and Nógrád county 5.2%) related to the significant industrial activity there (Figure 3). 3D printing has only started to spread in Hungary lately. It is popular in manufacturing in- dustry where the basic purpose is to manufacture moulds, tools, parts, etc. for sale. The share of enterprises using 3D printing was also characterised with very low values except for three coun- ties (Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Heves and Nógrád), which con- stituted one of the pillars of the former socialist heavy industry. 3D printing is most widespread in enterprises in the above coun- ties, however, only in a very low per cent (1.9–2.2%) of the enter- prises (Figure 4). The values of other ICT indica- tors (e.g. Big Data analysis) var- ied mostly between 2 and 6 per cent, indicating the early stages of digital transformation in en- terprises. However, depending on their industrial affiliation values show smaller or greater variation. The level of the appli- Ta bl e 2. R an ki ng o f n ew IC T (I C T n) * in di ca to rs b y co un ty in H un ga ry , 2 01 7– 20 18 C ap it al , c ou nt y IC T n- 1 IC T n- 2 IC T n- 3 IC T n- 4 IC T n- 5 IC T n- 6 IC T n- 7 IC T n- 8 IC T n- 9 IC T n- 10 C um ul at ed ra nk in g B ud ap es t Pe st Fe jé r K om ár om -E sz te rg om V es zp ré m G yő r- M os on -S op ro n V as Z al a B ar an ya So m og y T ol na B or so d -A ba új -Z em pl én H ev es N óg rá d H aj d ú- B ih ar Já sz -N ag yk un -S zo ln ok Sz ab ol cs -S za tm ár -B er eg B ác s- K is ku n B ék és C so ng rá d 1 2 6 11 9 3 5 4 14 15 17 7 8 10 18 19 20 13 16 12 1 4 7 5 8 9 12 17 2 3 6 16 18 19 10 15 13 14 20 11 1 4 4 11 7 11 16 17 2 3 6 13 7 19 15 20 18 13 7 7 13 1 9 3 7 1 3 8 16 19 20 9 3 9 9 6 13 15 16 16 19 12 1 2 5 3 7 13 8 8 6 8 8 4 18 13 20 15 15 17 8 5 9 16 13 5 10 18 5 9 4 1 3 1 19 16 19 12 13 13 10 6 12 17 10 5 7 9 12 7 4 1 3 2 19 18 19 14 14 14 9 3 6 7 5 9 12 17 11 15 8 2 3 1 18 20 15 14 19 12 10 17 6 7 9 17 16 19 8 13 20 1 2 5 3 10 4 12 14 15 4 16 9 5 10 1 3 2 6 16 11 18 20 19 14 15 12 6 6 12 5 3 2 8 7 1 11 14 8 13 12 5 4 10 18 19 20 15 17 16 *F or th e d en om in at io n of th e in d ic at or s se e th e te xt . S ou rc e: B as ed o n th e d at a of H un ga ri an C en tr al S ta ti st ic al O ffi ce In fo rm at io n d at ab as e. Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117.110 cation of new technologies in industrial and manufacturing enterprises is usually higher than in the economy as a whole (Table 3). According to the empirical research carried out in Eastern Hungary in 2019 there are con- siderable differences between Hungarian and foreign-owned enterprises in the advance- ment of Industry 4.0 (Nagy, Cs. et al. 2020). Usually enterprises with foreign interest are those where on the one hand the application of new technologies is more frequent, on the other hand several kind of new technologies are applied. Although Hungarian enterprises are interested in new technologies, they have applied only a few of them, mostly robots and 3D printers. The reasons for this (e.g. lack of money and skilled workers, less de- veloped organisational structure) are very similar to the results of other researches (e.g. (Horváth, D. and Szabó, Zs.R. 2019). Geographical types of ICT development The ranking based on the cumulative ranks of the “old” and “new” indicators of ICT shows that older info-communication technologies are particularly significant in the region of the capital city and in Northern Transdanubia and Csongrád county (Figure 5 and 6). The geography of more recent ICT shows a stronger North–South divide. At the same Fig. 3. Ratio of enterprises using industrial robots by county in Hungary, 2018. Source: Data of Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Fig. 4. Ratio of enterprises by county in Hungary where 3D printing was used for the manufacturing of moulds, tools, parts, semi-finished products for sale, 2017. Source: Data of Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Fig. 6. Cumulated ranking of new ICT indicators by county in Hungary. Source: Based on Table 2. Fig. 5. Cumulated ranking of old ICT indicators by county in Hungary. Source: Based on Table 1. Baranya Somogy Tolna Veszprém Vas Zala Győr- Moson-Sopron Komárom- Esztergom Komárom- Esztergom Fejér Pest BudapestBudapest Bács-Kiskun Csongrád- Csanád Békés Jász-Nagykun- Szolnok Hajdú-Bihar Szabolcs-Szatmár- Bereg Borsod-Abaúj- Zemplén Heves Nógrád 0 50 km 1– 4 5– 8 9–12 13–16 17–20 Cumulated ranking 111Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117. time, in the eastern and southern counties of Hungary (with the exception of Baranya county) the digital transformation of enter- prises is much less favourable which can be related to the historical past, the disadvan- tages of the starting conditions, lower eco- nomic performance, periphery location, etc. After 1989 these regions were not very attrac- tive targets for foreign investors and their de- industrialisation was intensive. All these led to that they fell behind in development in last decades. Moreover, the eastern-southeastern parts never belonged to the more developed regions of the country. Even today this is the semi-periphery of the EU, while the south- western part has become a “lock-in” area which hardly finds the way out. By forming a cumulative ranking based on the rankings of all ICT indicators the final rank- ing of the counties has been established reflect- ing the degree of progress of each region and the enterprises there, i.e. how they perform in the supply and application of info-communica- tion tools and technologies. Based on the rank- ing, five main types can be identified, where the spreading of ICT and digitalisation are: 1. Well-advanced: Pest, Győr-Moson- Sopron and Fejér counties, and Budapest; 2. Advanced: Komárom-Esztergom, Vas, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and Veszprém counties; 3. Moderately advanced: Heves, Baranya, Csongrád and Nógrád counties; 4. Less advanced: Bács-Kiskun, Zala, Somogy and Tolna counties; 5. Least advanced: Hajdú-Bihar, Békés, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok and Szabolcs- Szatmár-Bereg counties (Figure 7). Areas in the first group of categories are the leading ones, while the fifth group leads the army. The two extremes in space are the region of the capital city, together with Northern Transdanubia and Northern Great Plain. In a different way, there is a North– Fig. 7. Cumulated ranking of all ICT indicators by county in Hungary. Source: Based on the Table 1 and 2. Table 3. Use of ICT in Hungarian enterprises*, 2018 Denomination Manufacturing,% Industry, % All sectors of national economy, % Enterprises with fixed broadband internet con- nections Ratio of enterprises with mobile broadband connections Purpose of mobile web use: access to the e-mail system of the enterprise Purpose of mobile web use: access to documents Purpose of mobile web use: using software applications Ratio of employed informatics professionals Cloud based service: use of CRM application Ratio of enterprises using cloud based services 84.6 72.0 64.1 33.9 18.2 27.7 3.2 17.2 91.0 81.2 73.7 42.1 26.5 38.0 3.3 22.7 82.7 70.8 62.6 36.5 19.3 26.1 4.9 18.0 *Enterprises employing more than 10 people. Source: Data of Hungarian Central Statistical Office Information database. Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117.112 South divide in the spreading of Industry 4.0, as the degree of the digital transformation of the enterprises is better in the North and poorer in the south. Attention should be drawn, however, to the fact that the digital maturity of the population and enterprises of the counties may vary consid- erably (Balog, Zs. et al. 2018; Nedelka, E. 2019). There is no doubt that greater IC prepared- ness of the population can have a positive impact on the supply and application of infocommu- nication technologies and tools contributing thereby to the improvement of the economy and the competitiveness of the given area. Spatial connections between ICT and industry Following the regime change, radical changes took place in the Hungarian industry, which also manifested in space (Kiss, É. 2002). The process of dein- dustrialisation was very strong in the 1990s, while a number of new investments were made forming a new spatial struc- ture of the industry based pri- marily on foreign capital. This was modified by reindustriali- sation by today. Cumulative rankings calculated based on the rankings of the variables of industry in 2018 clearly show the importance of industry in each county and their position in the whole country (Table 4). The following industrial indi- cators (IndI) were used: � IndI-1: Number of industrial enterprises in 2018; Ta bl e 4. R an ki ng o f i nd us tr ia l i nd ic at or s (I nd I) * by c ou nt y in H un ga ry , 2 01 7– 20 18 C ap it al , c ou nt y In d I- 1 In d I- 2 In d I- 3 In d I- 4 In d I- 5 In d I- 6 In d I- 7 In d I- 8 In d I- 9 In d I- 10 C um ul at ed ra nk in g B ud ap es t Pe st Fe jé r K om ár om -E sz te rg om V es zp ré m G yő r- M os on -S op ro n V as Z al a B ar an ya So m og y T ol na B or so d -A ba új -Z em pl én H ev es N óg rá d H aj d ú- B ih ar Já sz -N ag yk un -S zo ln ok Sz ab ol cs -S za tm ár -B er eg B ác s- K is ku n B ék és C so ng rá d 1 2 7 12 9 4 18 13 10 17 19 5 15 20 6 14 11 3 16 8 16 3 4 1 2 7 10 12 6 18 5 7 10 7 17 14 20 12 18 14 1 2 6 4 9 3 7 11 10 16 15 8 13 20 13 12 16 5 19 18 20 19 9 6 10 16 15 17 11 14 3 5 8 4 13 1 12 7 2 18 1 13 4 2 10 3 5 12 20 16 11 8 6 15 19 9 17 7 18 14 2 7 3 4 11 1 12 20 16 10 19 5 9 18 13 8 14 6 17 15 1 2 4 6 8 3 12 18 16 15 19 7 14 20 11 9 10 5 17 13 20 15 6 1 5 2 3 16 18 9 10 12 4 11 19 7 17 8 14 13 1 3 5 6 10 2 8 15 17 19 16 4 11 20 12 9 13 7 18 14 20 12 3 1 8 2 5 11 19 18 9 4 6 13 17 7 13 10 15 16 8 6 3 1 7 2 10 17 14 19 12 4 11 18 13 9 15 5 20 15 Fo r th e d en om in at io n of th e in d ic at or s se e th e te xt . S ou rc e: B as ed o n th e d at a of H un ga ri an C en tr al S ta ti st ic al O ffi ce In fo rm at io n d at ab as e. 113Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117. � IndI-2: Ratio of industrial enterprises of all enterprises in 2018, %; � IndI-3: Number of enterprises with foreign interest in manufacturing in 2017; � IndI-4: Ratio of manufacturing enterprises with foreign interest of all enterprises with foreign interest in 2017, %; � IndI-5: Value of industrial production per inhabitant in 2018, 1,000 HUF; � IndI-6: Export sales of industry in 2018, million HUF; � IndI-7: Number of employees in industry in 2018; � IndI-8: Ratio of industrial employees of all employees in 2018, %; � IndI-9: Gross value added of industry in 2017, million HUF; � IndI-10: Share of industry of total gross value added in 2017, %. Cumulative rankings provide a good basis to identify areas where industry is more im- portant in the economy and where it is less so. The main types of counties are the follow- ing, where industry is: 1. Very significant: Komárom-Esztergom, Győr-Moson-Sopron, Fejér and Borsod- Abaúj-Zemplén counties; 2. Significant: Bács-Kiskun, Pest, Veszprém counties and Budapest ; 3. Moderately significant: Jász-Nagykun- Szolnok, Vas, Heves and Tolna counties; 4. Less significant: Hajdú-Bihar, Baranya, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg and Csongrád countie; 5. Least significant: Zala, Nógrád, Somogy and Békés counties (Figure 8). The current spatial structure of the industry has many similarities to the spatial structure developed in the second half of the 1990s (Kiss, É. 2002). After the regime change, in the 20th century, the focus of industrial production shifted to the northern part of Transdanubia, because the NE–SW industrial axis, built on the resources of the mountains during the socialism, took up a direction of NW–SE. Foreign capital investments played a leading role in the development of the new industrial district (Kiss, E. 2007). By today, the indus- try has continued to develop and expanded in space as a result of re-industrialization. Industry remains relevant in Győr-Moson- Sopron, Komárom-Esztergom and Fejér coun- ties, which, together with Vas county, form a group of FDI-based processing industrial counties (Lengyel, I. and Varga, A. 2018). Many of the industrial indicators (e.g. share of gross value added, share of industrial em- ployment, value of industrial production) have favourable values in these counties, and though they change somewhat each year they do not influence significantly the position of counties. They basically occupy a permanent- ly relevant place in the Hungarian industry (Nemes Nagy, J. and Lőcsei, H. 2015). Industrial activity is also significant in the central part of the country, in the capital city, in Pest and Bács-Kiskun counties. Although Budapest is still the largest industrial centre in Hungary, its industry has lost weight af- ter 1989, because many industrial facilities ceased to exist, were restructured and other sectors developed more dynamically (Kiss, É. 2010). Industry has strengthened due to the investments of the Mercedes car factory and its suppliers in Bács-Kiskun county, and it took a prominent position in Hungary’s industry in 2018: based on e.g. the number of industrial enterprises (4,681), the ratio of industrial enterprises with foreign interests (31%) or the number of industrial employees (45,000 people). In the last decade, the indus- try of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county also becomes more significant and together with Fig. 8. Cumulated ranking of industrial indicators by county in Hungary. Source: Based on Table 4. Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117.114 Bács-Kiskun, Veszprém, Heves and Jász- Nagykun-Szolnok counties they form the group of reindustrialising counties (Lengyel, I. and Varga, A. 2018). In contrast, the im- portance of the industry of Northern Great Plain and Southern Transdanubia decreased, because of the reasons mentioned above, and today, the values of the counties there are mostly among the poorest ones. However, based on their ICT cumulative rank their po- sition in the ranking is often even less favour- able which can also have a negative impact on the regional development (Bailey, D. and De Propris, L. 2019). Comparing the spatial structure of indus- try and ICT, the spatial distribution of the two phenomena shows no close correlation. Only one quarter of the studied 20 spatial units can be classified into the same group based on the rankings of both indicators. (Therefore, the trial factor analysis did not produce any meaningful results beforehand – Nedelka, E. 2019.) There are only two counties (Fejér, Győr-Moson-Sopron), where both industry and ICT are most advanced, and one county (Békés) where the situation is most unfavourable based on the cumulative ranking of both indicators. The former ones belong to the most developed (industrial- ized) regions of the country with excellent supply by ICT while the latter one was previ- ously classified as “Rural” (Lengyel, I. and Varga, A. 2018) that generally includes coun- ties that are far away from the centres most- ly along the borders. Either their economic development or their social characteristics are considered, they often belong to the tail- enders. For example, in 2017, the GDP per capita of Békés county reached only 59 per cent of the national average, but the share of its industry (1.8%) regarding the gross value added was well below that of Győr-Moson- Sopron (11.9%) or Fejér (7.9%) counties. In addition to the counties at the two extremes, Veszprém and Heves counties were part of the same group considering both indicators. The former can be characterised by a relative- ly developed industry and advanced digital transformation, while the latter belonged to the midfield. The significance of the two indi- cators differs in the rest of the counties: either the weight of the industry or the degree of digital progress provides a higher ranking. Conclusions Following the latest economic crisis those involved in the global economy, enterprises in Hungary and abroad have to face another challenge, Industry 4.0 and/or the fourth in- dustrial revolution. In this study the charac- teristics of ICT giving the basis of the new trends and their application are examined in geographical terms in relation to the spatial structure of Hungarian industry. Depending on the geographical location of enterprises marked differences may be found in the supply of old and new ICT. The rea- sons for this can be very diverse, however, they can be explained mainly by the nature of the local social and economic environ- ment. History, infrastructure development, transport links, qualification and skills of hu- man resources, etc. are important. The pecu- liar path of development and the past of each area have a major impact on the current ICT maturity of the given place and the enter- prises there. Dependence on the past, on the starting conditions, or in other words “path dependency” also prevails here to some de- gree it identifies the path of development and determines current differences. Comparing the geography of the two phe- nomena, ICT and industry, it can be conclud- ed that the spatial match is relatively modest. Thus, the degree of ICT progress cannot be closely linked to industry. ICT indicators fol- low a characteristic North–South divide, but industry shows no sign of such spatial regu- larity caused partly by reindustrialisation in the last decade. Digital divide and industrial divide do not match. This is primarily due to the spatial distribution of the older ICT indicators, as newer technologies are more closely linked to industry. In the digital transformation, counties and enterprises in Northern Great Plain are the least advanced, 115Kiss, É. and Nedelka, E. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 69 (2020) (2) 99–117. and this could lead to serious disadvantages in the long-term. Therefore, areas where ICT indicators are still unfavourable require fur- ther investment and improvements. Probably the available special funds of the EU and the government will help in this. In the future the digital development will play a much more important role not only in social and economic, but also in regional development. The comparison of the spatial pattern of ICT and industry has also shown that the latter one plays an important role in the spreading of ICTs, but it is not enough in itself. Other (social, economic etc.) factors are also necessary for the application of IC technologies, tools or services by as many enterprises as possible. This can also explain that the spatial distribution of ICT and indus- try is different and that the industry is more significant in more counties, or in another way, the prevalence of ICT in space is more concentrated. In these counties, industry also plays a prominent role in the application of ICT, however, the social and economic envi- ronment, the qualification and skills of work- force, the financial resources and possibili- ties of enterprises, the general development of infrastructure, geographical location and many other conditions (e.g. different financial supports) are also favourable or relatively fa- vourable for Industry 4.0 to progress. In fact, the more modest scale or the lack of the for- mer conditions causes that digital transition is less advanced in many counties. The study is essentially related to the first phase of a multi-year project. It can be seen as a kind of introduction, partly to the geo- graphical examination of Industry 4.0 and partly indirectly to the spatial research of the digital maturity of the industry, which, in theory, has several ways to be continued. One way is a deeper analysis of the social and economic causes of spatial differences, the exploration of local peculiarities. This is necessary in order to define precisely what needs to be done in the area in order to miti- gate the unfavourable conditions and to re- duce regional differences. Another possible research direction is a stronger focus on the ICT maturity of industrial enterprises at local and regional level, paying particular atten- tion e.g. to the size structure of enterprises and to sectoral differences. Both research options require the promotion of empiri- cal studies, as the range of official statistics is very limited. Furthermore, to reveal the spatial pattern of the financial supports what Hungarian enterprises have gained to promote their digital transformation would be also an interesting research direction. 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