A Maturity Model for Smart Product-Service Systems

Smart Product-Service Systems (sPSS) offer the opportunity to create additional value by combining smart products with smart services. However, industry players often lack resources, know-how, and practical guidance to develop, introduce, and maintain such complex solutions. To support their innovation efforts, research first needs to understand the implications of applying these emerging technologies. Hence, we present a maturity model for sPSS to describe and compare such solutions using twelve dimensions and conduct a case study to illustrate the model. Our research combines insights from a systematic literature review, 20 real-world use cases, seven interviews with sPSS experts, and a focus group

Industry 4.0 Maturity Assessment: A multi-dimensional indicator approach

Purpose - Industry 4.0 has offered significant potential for manufacturing firms to alter and rethink their business models, production processes, strategies, and objectives. Manufacturing organizations have recently undergone substantial transformation due to Industry 4.0 technologies. Hence, to successfully deploy and embed Industry 4.0 technologies in their organizational operations and practices, businesses must assess their adoption readiness. For this purpose, a multidimensional analytical indicator methodology has been developed to measure Industry 4.0 maturity and preparedness. Design/methodology/approach- A weighted average method was adopted to assess the Industry 4.0 readiness using a case study from a steel manufacturing organization. Findings- The result revealed that the firm ranks between Industry 2.0 and Industry 3.0, with an overall score of 2.32. This means that the organization is yet to achieve Industry 4.0 mature and ready organization. Practical Implications- The multi-dimensional indicator framework proposed can be used by managers, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to assess the current status of organizations in terms of Industry 4.0 maturity and readiness as well as undertake a practical diagnosis and prognosis of systems and processes for its future adoption. Originality/ value- Although research on Industry 4.0 maturity models has grown exponentially in recent years, this study is the first to develop a multi-dimensional analytical indicator to measure Industry 4.0 maturity and readiness

Supporting the digital transformation of SMEs — trained digital evangelists facilitating the positioning phase

As digital transformation (DT) sweeps over society, the exploitation of digital solutions is obvious, especially for large enterprises. Unfortunately, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggle with DT because of limited resources, understanding, and implementation skills. Thus, SME companies need both methods and tools to proceed with DT as well as support to exploit them. This article presents a study in which adult learners with professional experience are trained to use a digitalization development method and tools to analyze target organizations’ digitalization state and identify improvement ideas. Thirty trained digital evangelists used the tools and methods while conducting digitalization status analyses in eleven organizations. The study results show that the method and tools work in the context presented in this research. The study’s findings are beneficial for the educational professionals interested in educating students towards helping SME organizations along their digitalization pathway

A tool for holistic assessment of digitalization capabilities in manufacturing SMEs

In a constantly evolving global market, manufacturing companies need to be flexible and adaptive to survive. Digital twins of production systems have been proposed as one part of the solution, however this comes with multiple challenges. Manufacturing SMEs have limited resources and need to direct their efforts in this area wisely. This paper presents a tool for holistic assessment of an SME manufacturer\u27s level of digitalization, in order to visualize current gaps and guide digitalization efforts over a production system\u27s life cycle. The tool was empirically developed together with Manufacturing SMEs and has strengthened their digitalization awareness and capabilities

Contextual impacts on industrial processes brought by the digital transformation of manufacturing: a systematic review

The digital transformation of manufacturing (a phenomenon also known as "Industry 4.0" or "Smart Manufacturing") is finding a growing interest both at practitioner and academic levels, but is still in its infancy and needs deeper investigation. Even though current and potential advantages of digital manufacturing are remarkable, in terms of improved efficiency, sustainability, customization, and flexibility, only a limited number of companies has already developed ad hoc strategies necessary to achieve a superior performance. Through a systematic review, this study aims at assessing the current state of the art of the academic literature regarding the paradigm shift occurring in the manufacturing settings, in order to provide definitions as well as point out recurring patterns and gaps to be addressed by future research. For the literature search, the most representative keywords, strict criteria, and classification schemes based on authoritative reference studies were used. The final sample of 156 primary publications was analyzed through a systematic coding process to identify theoretical and methodological approaches, together with other significant elements. This analysis allowed a mapping of the literature based on clusters of critical themes to synthesize the developments of different research streams and provide the most representative picture of its current state. Research areas, insights, and gaps resulting from this analysis contributed to create a schematic research agenda, which clearly indicates the space for future evolutions of the state of knowledge in this field

Proposal and validation of an industry 4.0 maturity model for SMEs

Purpose: This paper seeks to establish an Industry 4.0 maturity model for manufacturing SMEs. Thisresearch presents the characteristics of the proposed model, which takes the elements and the scope of thefourth industrial revolution, as well as the dimensions and assessment scales of some maturity modelsalready applied. Likewise, this document shows the modelling process and the model’s validation in SMEsin the city of Bogotá-Colombia.Design/methodology/approach: To determine the criteria of the maturity model, 6 major stages havebeen established: Literature Review, Development of the model; Validation of the model; Application ofthe model; Data analysis; and Conclusion and Recommendations. Findings: Considering the validation of some maturity models shown in the literature review, and alignedwith the purpose of this article, 8 dimensions have been established to measure the maturity level ofSMEs: Service; Operations; Quality; Products; Documented information- Big Data; Leadership andstrategy; Communication; and Culture and people. A model has been generated that allows evaluating thedegree of compliance in each dimension for manufacturing SMEs. The model can be applicable tocompanies in any industry. Also, it can determine the degree of implementation compliance of companiesin the same sector.Research limitations/implications: According to the literature reviewed, SMEs, especially those in LatinAmerica, still do not have a culture of applying the elements of Industry 4.0. Therefore, in the research, itwas not easy to understand the intrinsic variables of Industry 4.0 that SMEs have applied in different areas,which does not allow us to have the current context of SMEs and from that perspective to have a bettersimulation of the business model maturity.Practical implications: The model presented in this document serves as a basis for SMEs in LatinAmerica to establish a baseline measurement in relation to the application of Industry 4.0 elements incompanies.Social implications: What is intended with this work is to frame a baseline so that companies canunderstand their current maturity level in the terms that industry 4.0 could cover. Likewise, they cangenerate actions for the appropriation of new technologies that allow them to be more competitive. Thisdocument can be taken and applied by those entrepreneurs companies who wish to measure theiroperations.Originality/value: The essential point for the generation of the maturity level measurement model isfocused on determining the necessary dimensions on which the evaluation is based. In the literature found,most models focus their dimensions on measuring the digital in their processes and tangentially evaluate the organizational structure and the relationship between them. Additionally, the authors who address theorganization as a whole do not reveal the details for SMEs to self-evaluate. The models found have onlybeen implemented to evaluate one company along or individually. This model presents the coredimensions holistically and explicitly, taking important criteria such as quality, service, communication, andthe culture of all employees. Additionally, it shows in detail the model that allows to SMEs of themanufacturing sector to self-assess themselves in each dimension and in turn the degree of the businesssector in which they are or belongPeer Reviewe