The implementation of Industry 4.0 technology and meeting the expectations of employers, the labour market, and, in fact, sustainable development are new challenges for industry employees, especially for their knowledge and skills. The changes introduced during industrial revolutions have always affected the job market and employees’ required competencies. The same can be said for the latest industrial revolution, Industry 4.0, in which the human factor plays an important role, mainly because new challenges are posed by human beings’ role in digitised reality. Our research aimed to identify the employee competencies that are required in the context of Industry 4.0. We investigated two groups of respondents (employees and students). These groups were subjected to a comparative analysis of their digital, technical, social and personal competencies. As a result of the analysis, we identified the highest-ranked competencies in defined groups. Our results show that technical and soft skills are equally important in this highly technically based industrial revolution.

E3S Web of Conferences, open access proceedings in environment, energy and earth sciences

The European Commission has established a Critical Raw Materials List (CRM) for the European Union (EU), which is subject to regular review and updating. CRMs are needed in many key industries such as automotive, steel, aerospace, renewable energy, etc. To address this issue, we studied publicly available data from databases developed by the EU for monitoring the progress of individual countries in key areas for the development of society. The paper analyzes indicators of import reliance, net additions to stock, domestic material consumption (DMC), resource productivity, and circular material use rate. Prospective products and technologies, in electromobility, digitalization, Industry 4.0, and energy transformation, are changing and increasing the demand for raw materials. The aim of this article is to look at the ways forward in order to use critical raw materials as efficiently as possible while at the same time ensuring the optimal economy of the countries. From the sources and databases of data available for the EU, we analyzed a number of variables and suggested options for future developments in the efficient use of critical raw materials. We defined what we believed to be the optimal management means in relation to critical raw materials and worked backwards to find a path to efficient use of critical raw materials.

The innovative concept of the vacuum railway—high-speed transportation system has for many years aroused great interest of people dealing with the issues of modern and effective transport systems. Transport scientists and engineers see this technology as a great opportunity for modern societies, at the same time, struggling with many difficult and still unsolved problems. This article presents partial results of the research carried out to assess the feasibility and legitimacy of implementing this technology in Poland. Particular attention was paid to the research methodology for estimating the demand for passenger capsules used for the transport of people in hyperloop (HP) technology. The authors also presented the results of using this methodology to determine the investment outlays for HP capsules intended to handle passenger traffic on selected routes planned in Poland. The authors’ contribution is an innovative approach to determining the demand for passenger capsules, the investment outlays, and the maximum capacity depending on parameters such as, for example, the sequence time or travel time of capsules on one of the future HP routes in Poland.

This article presents an approach to the diagnosis of the business area for new entities on the raw material market in Poland. In the face of the need for changes as a result of the assumptions of the Green Deal and the global transformation of production processes toward a sustainable approach and circular economy, a diagnosis was made of the area that can be explored by new entities in the raw material industry. After the diagnosis of this area, a PESTEL analysis was carried out, which may contribute to a better definition of business goals and the scope of activities for new entities on the market or those who want or need to change industries. PESTEL is an analysis aimed at assessing the macroeconomic environment of a company. It helps in making strategic decisions for the enterprise. The research results presented in this article are part of a project implemented as part of an international cooperation within the V4 countries. In each of them, there is a defined market of mineral resources that can be used by local or foreign entities. The business gap diagnosed in the mineral resource market in Poland, i.e., broadly understood activity in the IT area, may be an indication for potential investors to start new business activities. Additionally, the PESTEL analysis carried out allows the definition of the requirements for the determinants of the business under consideration.

The present article focuses on key strategic objectives and their key performance indicators in the energy sector. Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) are indicators used in processes to measure the extent of completion of objectives within organizations. They focus on those key aspects of functioning of organizations that are of fundamental importance to the current and future success of organizations. By including KPI's in multi-dimensional performance cards, one can identify the priority objectives and gain a comprehensive view of a company. KPI's make it possible to clearly determine whether objectives are completed at all and what is the stage of their completion. Continuous monitoring of the extent of objective completion enables quick response to changing conditions in the environment and, consequently, helps companies survive in their markets, enables their growth, and gives them competitive advantage. The problems discussed in the article are very broad but immensely important to contemporary entities, including mining companies conducting their unique operations. Managers look for up-to-date management support tools that can support them in efficient and quick decision-making, effective information flow, and measurement of company performance. The article presents key performance indicators in multi-dimensional performance cards. For this purpose, research was performed to check the fraction of selection of specific options (sets of objectives) by respondents and an analysis of statistical dominance of key indicators of their completion. The results of the analysis were presented in the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) - one of the multi-dimensional performance cards.