Analysing the state of digitisation in SME – A survey based on an SME-specific maturity model

Abstract

The prevailing volatile changes in the market are forcing companies to perform increasingly complex planning tasks. Furthermore, shorter product life cycles and a more frequent adaption to customer requirements arise from a sellers’ market shifting to a buyers’ market. Regarding the digital factory planning, appropriate digital methods, tools, and models help master these new challenges. Depending on industry sectors and company size, the application and implementation of the methods and tools of the digital factory vary. Especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) show limited progress regarding digitisation due to a lack of expertise and qualified personnel. Thus, identifying suitable methods and tools for SMEs is essential for developing an implementation plan driving their digital transformation. Therefore, this article uses a survey analysing and classifying the situation of SME via an SME-specific maturity model. By investigating the correlations between the impacting variables, it is possible to identify the untapped potential, forming the basis for developing workshops and training to gain experience in dealing with methods and tools for digital factory planning