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The assessment of the digital level is considered pivotal, for manufacturing companies including Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME), at the outset of implementing Industry 4.0 solutions in their digital strategies. Several self-assessment tools exist measuring the digital readiness and maturity, returning the overall digital level of the companies. On the one hand, the application of such tools proved to be effective, as it enables companies to systematically reflect about their digital level, strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and challenges to consider prior to the implementation of Industry 4.0. On the other hand, particularly for SME facing higher challenges compared to large companies in the management of digital transformation, relying exclusively on the knowledge of their overall digital level may offer limited elements to strategically orient decision-making process in this field. The present study presents the methodology used to develop, within the framework of a self-assessment tailored to the requirements of SME, a set of Key Readiness Indicators (KRI), deepening the interpretation of the overall digital level of the companies in specific areas of interventions. The KRI focus on the digital readiness of companies in terms of strategy, technological requirements, awareness about digital trends, and competences of employees, to offer complementary information to ease the definition of strategies for technological implementation in SME. Besides the methodological approach employed, the study shows the distribution of KRI within a sample of manufacturing companies located in the Marche region (Italy) taking part to the proposed self-assessment. The emerging dynamics of the distribution of KRI according to varying company characteristics such as size, turnover and overall digital level will be presented and discussed, together with the main implications related to the use of KRI for strategic planning of Industry 4.0 in manufacturing companies.
Riccardo Brozzi; Michael Riedl; Dominik Matta. Key Readiness Indicators To Assess The Digital Level of Manufacturing SMEs. Procedia CIRP 2021, 96, 201 -206.
AMA StyleRiccardo Brozzi, Michael Riedl, Dominik Matta. Key Readiness Indicators To Assess The Digital Level of Manufacturing SMEs. Procedia CIRP. 2021; 96 ():201-206.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRiccardo Brozzi; Michael Riedl; Dominik Matta. 2021. "Key Readiness Indicators To Assess The Digital Level of Manufacturing SMEs." Procedia CIRP 96, no. : 201-206.
Far from being exclusively related to economic considerations, the advantages of Industry 4.0 applications also include environmental and social concerns. An increasing amount of scientific publications relate the implementation of the fourth industrial revolution paradigm to sustainability. Several studies reported opportunities of Industry 4.0 implementation particularly to the environmental dimension of sustainability, e.g., through improved logistics streams and lowered waste from production. The present research aims at providing evidence on whether manufacturing companies consider Industry 4.0 implementation as an advantage contributing to environmental and social sustainability in terms of lower environmental impact of production, as well as higher physical relief for workers and flexibility of work organisation. The results were an attempt to study such relations with company sizes, industry sectors, turnover and self-assessed levels of digitalization varying. The sample encompasses 65 companies located in the Marche region (Italy). The results show that overall the perception of economic opportunities prevail, while the association of a beneficial impact of Industry 4.0 on environmental sustainability is rather low across companies, regardless of their size, turnover and digital level. As for the statistically significant variables, the results suggest a strong association of the size and the digital level to specific Industry 4.0 related advantages, referring to the social and economic dimension of sustainability, respectively.
Riccardo Brozzi; David Forti; Erwin Rauch; Dominik T. Matt. The Advantages of Industry 4.0 Applications for Sustainability: Results from a Sample of Manufacturing Companies. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3647 .
AMA StyleRiccardo Brozzi, David Forti, Erwin Rauch, Dominik T. Matt. The Advantages of Industry 4.0 Applications for Sustainability: Results from a Sample of Manufacturing Companies. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (9):3647.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRiccardo Brozzi; David Forti; Erwin Rauch; Dominik T. Matt. 2020. "The Advantages of Industry 4.0 Applications for Sustainability: Results from a Sample of Manufacturing Companies." Sustainability 12, no. 9: 3647.
The ongoing transition to digitalization will inevitably require companies to shift their manufacturing processes towards the Industry 4.0 paradigm, to remain competitive on the market. An increasing number of companies worldwide are initiating integrated 4.0 solutions, catching up with this revolution in the very concept of production processes and the dynamics among producers, suppliers and end-users. SMEs will be particularly challenged to integrate IT and automation to gain market segments in an increasingly globalised playing-field. SMEs will either seize it by identifying opportunities and risks or succumb it. Against the background that there is no such a thing as a one-size-fits-all solution on the way to Industry 4.0, the self-assessment of firm-specific starting circumstances is an essential step prior to any digital implementation. However, the analysis of a diverse pool of existing online self-assessment tools demonstrated main application fields in the context of large companies. This paper will present a methodology developed to design self-assessment tools for Industry 4.0 readiness level, in the framework of two publicly funded EU projects, targeting small-scale craftsmanship companies in the manufacturing and construction sector. The results indicate the importance to scale existing tools to the specific framework conditions of SMEs as well as valuable approaches and concrete recommendations to consider during the conceptual and design phase.
R. Brozzi; R. D. D’Amico; Gabriele Pasetti Monizza; C. Marcher; M. Riedl; D. Matt. Design of Self-assessment Tools to Measure Industry 4.0 Readiness. A Methodological Approach for Craftsmanship SMEs. Lecture Notes in Control and Information Sciences 2018, 566 -578.
AMA StyleR. Brozzi, R. D. D’Amico, Gabriele Pasetti Monizza, C. Marcher, M. Riedl, D. Matt. Design of Self-assessment Tools to Measure Industry 4.0 Readiness. A Methodological Approach for Craftsmanship SMEs. Lecture Notes in Control and Information Sciences. 2018; ():566-578.
Chicago/Turabian StyleR. Brozzi; R. D. D’Amico; Gabriele Pasetti Monizza; C. Marcher; M. Riedl; D. Matt. 2018. "Design of Self-assessment Tools to Measure Industry 4.0 Readiness. A Methodological Approach for Craftsmanship SMEs." Lecture Notes in Control and Information Sciences , no. : 566-578.