The impact of the integration of industrial automation systems on enterprise productivity, cost structure, and long-term economic growth rates of the national economy

Abstract

The article examines the impact of the integration of industrial automation systems on enterprise productivity, cost structure, and the long-term economic growth rates of the national economy in the context of the productivity paradox and the transition to Industry 4.0. The aim of the study is to quantitatively assess the micro- and macroeconomic effects of automation, taking into account investment lags, cost structure transformation, and changes in the contribution of labor, capital, and total factor productivity to GDP growth. The empirical base consists of data from 487 industrial enterprises across various sectors for the period 2012–2023, as well as national and international statistical sources; methods applied include cost decomposition, correlation and regression analysis, clustering by technological maturity level, distributed lag models, and DSGE modeling. It is shown that the implementation of comprehensive automation leads to a sharp decrease in the share of variable labor costs, accompanied by a multiple increase in depreciation and service expenses, which shifts the business model from labor-intensive to capital-intensive and enhances the role of operating leverage: the total cost in the short term may increase, but upon reaching high capacity utilization, EBITDA margin and output per employee (CAGR of about 15%) rise significantly. A marked J-curve of the investment process is identified: the return on invested capital declines during the active investment phase and recovers above the initial level after 3–4 years, with the correlation coefficient between the intensity of automation investments and long-term profitability indicators reaching 0.87. Macroeconomic modeling demonstrates an increase in the contribution of capital and TFP to GDP growth rates and a rise in the share of the high-tech sector in the economic structure, confirming the role of automation as a key driver of intensive growth, while simultaneously amplifying the risks of uneven benefit distribution, market concentration, and fiscal imbalances that require adaptation of industrial and social policy.