SMEs AND INDUSTRY 4.0, DEVELOPMENT AND APPROACH OF A MEASUREMENT MODEL

Abstract

The technologies of Industry 4.0 play a significant role in corporate competitiveness, making it relevant to measure their level of implementation. The need for maturity models arises, which assess the degree of implementation of these Industry 4.0 technologies, allowing for diagnosis and the proposal of plans to enhance the technological level of industries. Due to their complexity, methodological aspects, and the knowledge requirements involved in their measurement, maturity models are challenging for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to tackle. The development of effective measurement methods to assess the progress of the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies in SMEs is a research necessity, as theoretical approaches are geared toward large enterprises. Our work aims to propose a diagnostic tool and an evaluation methodology for assessing the maturity levels of Industry 4.0 technology implementation in SMEs. To achieve this, we first conduct an analysis of maturity models applied globally. Subsequently, we develop a tool to determine the degree of advancement in the implementation of automation, data acquisition, and business data analysis technologies within the company, along with an evaluation methodology for its results. Finally, we demonstrate the application of the tool to twelve cases of Argentine SMEs and discuss the results.