## 5 Discussion  
The analysis of the results of the conducted research allowed us to draw many interesting conclusions. The development of the operational processes of production companies is related to digitization trends, but this relationship is not direct. It is necessary to link digitalization trends with software development trends. This means that implementing digital solutions into operational processes is not possible without software support. This is a tip of great practical importance. The conducted research also indicated that there are certain characteristics of companies that determine the degree of use (absorption) and the perception of significance for digitalization trends. Among the analyzed company characteristics, only the type of the company and the age of the company showed an impact on the use of solutions in the field of digitalization trends. This use is particularly important for enterprises with a wide range of activities (production, trade, and services) and for companies that have a longer history. These are usually larger enterprises, which, due to the size of their operations and the value of turnover, can afford to use digital solutions to a wider extent. These enterprises pay special attention to any changes that occur in their environment. These changes mainly concern consumer behavior, data protection, labor regulations, and shortages of skilled workers. It is natural that changes are noticed by companies that have been on the market for a longer period of time. They must adapt to these changes in order to survive. The above conclusions have interesting practical implications for manufacturing companies. The research results show that the mere implementation of digital solutions to operational processes is possible, but the simultaneous implementation of software solutions and digital solutions works much better. The results of the conducted research confirm that it is necessary for digital solutions to coexist in terms of hardware and software. These results allow companies to plan the implementation of digital solutions more effectively. Searching for synergy effects between software solutions and other (including hardware) solutions that enable digitization of production processes is a solution desired by other companies. The presented results also have important theoretical implications. The obtained results of the study open up new possibilities in the field of research and development of models for the digitization of production processes. They draw attention to what factors (apart from the digital technologies themselves) may affect their use (implementation) in manufacturing companies. Subsequent research can, therefore, focus on the search for relationships between specific digital solutions and the interdependence of their implementation with the implementation of a specific class of software. Such research would bear the hallmarks of the deduction method, i.e., detailing the results and conclusions. The conclusions presented above are new. There are many articles identifying the impact of digital solutions on the efficiency of processes, companies, and supply chains [43; 44], or on their readiness to implement digital solutions in manufacturing companies [45; 46]. The second of the frequently studied elements in the field of digitization of processes are the risks resulting from the implementation of these solutions and the factors affecting their implementation [23]. There are also publications indicating the success factors and barriers to the implementation of digital solutions or the digital transformation of the organization [30]. However, existing papers do not indicate the relationship between the solutions and trends functioning in the digitization of the processes of manufacturing enterprises. Additionally, there are no publications presenting the multidimensional impact of digital solutions or other current trends on the development of operational processes in manufacturing companies, also taking into account the selected characteristics of these companies.