The smart SME technology readiness assessment methodology in the context of industry 4.0

Abstract

PurposeThis study proposes the Smart SME Technology Readiness Assessment (SSTRA) methodology which aims to enable practitioners to assess the SMEs Industry 4.0 technology readiness throughout the end-to-end engineering across the entire value chain; the smart product design phase is the focus in this paper.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed SSTRA utilises the analytic hierarchy process to prioritise smart SME requirements, a graphical interface which tracks technologies' benchmarks under Industry 4.0 Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs); a mathematical model used to determine the technology readiness and visual representation to understand the relative readiness of each smart main area. The validity of the SSTRA is confirmed by testing it in a real industrial environment. In addition, the conceptual model for Smart product design development is proposed and validated.FindingsThe proposed SSTRA offers decision-makers the facility to identify requirements and rank them to reflect the current priorities of the enterprise. It allows SMEs to assess their current capabilities in a range of technologies of high relevance to the Industry 4.0 area. The SSTRA assembles a readiness profile allowing decision-makers to not only perceive the overall score of technology readiness but also the distribution of technology readiness across the main smart areas. It helps to visualise strengths and weaknesses; whilst emphasising the fundamental gaps that require serious action to assist the program with a well-balanced effort towards a successful transition to Industry 4.0.Originality/valueThe SSTRA provides a step-by-step approach for decision-making based on data collection, analysis, visualisation and documentation. Hence, it greatly mitigates the risk of further Industry 4.0 technology investment and implementation.

A Framework for Industry 4.0 Readiness and Maturity of Smart Manufacturing Enterprises: A Case Study

“…Presently, large enterprises in developed countries have already completed their transition to I4.0 or are in the transformation stage. Many researchers have highlighted the importance of I4.0 technologies in manufacturing systems [11,17,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. To understand the awareness and readiness of a country to undertake industrial revolution, surveys and analyses are required.…”

“…Based on the predictions, operations can be optimized according to various criteria such as cost, availability, and resource consumption [9]. To further understand the technological requirements for manufacturing enterprises to become (I4.0) recognized, the nine I4.0 pillars [10], (1) autonomous robots, (2) simulation, (3) horizontal and vertical system integration, (4) industrial internet of things (IIoT), ( 5) cybersecurity, (6) additive manufacturing, (7) augmented reality, (8) big data analytics, and (9) cloud computing, are used to demonstrate how SMEs should incorporate emerging technologies to become automated, autonomous, and optimized [11]. Managerial capabilities of industrial processes play an essential role in the enterprise strategy of I4.0 in terms of monitoring, control, optimization, and autonomy [12].…”

“…In this context, we aimed (1) to review the research related to existing I4.0 maturity modes (MMs) and frameworks (F/Ws); (2) to propose a modular MM with four dimensions, five levels, 60 second-level dimensions, and 246 subdimensions, and a generic F/W with four layers and seven hierarchy levels; (3) to conduct a case study by applying the proposed MM and F/W to assess and measure the I4.0 adoption of an automobile parts manufacturing enterprise; and (4) to apply the technology forecasting (TF) model to anticipate the growth in I4.0 for the enterprise. The proposed MM and F/W integrated with To further understand the technological requirements for manufacturing enterprises to become (I4.0) recognized, the nine I4.0 pillars [10], (1) autonomous robots, (2) simulation, (3) horizontal and vertical system integration, (4) industrial internet of things (IIoT), ( 5) cybersecurity, (6) additive manufacturing, (7) augmented reality, (8) big data analytics, and (9) cloud computing, are used to demonstrate how SMEs should incorporate emerging technologies to become automated, autonomous, and optimized [11]. Managerial capabilities of industrial processes play an essential role in the enterprise strategy of I4.0 in terms of monitoring, control, optimization, and autonomy [12].…”

Development of an industry 4.0 transformability index for manufacturing systems

“…In industry 4.0 (I4.0) regime, disappearing boundaries between the physical and virtual world leads the manufacturing industry toward interconnected and smart factories and enabling a seamless interaction among employees, machines, processes and products for a better organization with productivity enhancement (Saad et al , 2021; Sanchez et al , 2020). It proposes a new generation of connected and intelligent factories, enabling a dramatic shift in manufacturing processes (Nakagawa et al , 2021).…”

Systematic Literature Review of SME Industry 4.0 Readiness Models

“…These changes have made manufacturing firms to review their business management strategies to meet customers' high demands and preserve market share (Lee et al, 2013). It has been suggested by several researchers that to stay competitive on national and international markets, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need to embrace Industry 4.0 (I4.0) to increase productivity, optimise performance and design smart products (Saad et al, 2021). To adopt I4.0 in the most efficient way, academia and industry professionals have been developing selfcheck readiness models as guide to I4.0 readiness (Hizam-Hanafiah et al, 2020).…”