An Industry 4.0 maturity model proposal

• Published in: Journal of manufacturing technology management Vol. 31; no. 5; pp. 1023 - 1043
• Main Authors: Santos, Reginaldo Carreiro, Martinho, José Luís
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Publishing Limited 18.11.2020; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Advanced manufacturing technologies; Empirical analysis; Factories; Industrial engineering; Industry 4.0; Internet of Things; Literature reviews; Manufacturing engineering; Organizational aspects; Product development; Productivity; Industry 4.0; Manufacturing technology; Digital transformation; Maturity model; Capabilities
• ISSN: 1741-038X; 1758-7786
• DOI: 10.1108/JMTM-09-2018-0284

PurposeIn recent years, the development and application of innovative and disruptive technologies in manufacturing environments is shaping the fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0. The purpose of this paper is to describe a tool to assess the maturity level in implementing Industry 4.0 concepts and technologies in manufacturing companies.Design/methodology/approachUsing a framework to develop maturity models found in literature, three main steps were taken: the model design from the literature review on industry 4.0 and the comparative analysis of existing models; interviews with engineers and managers of relevant industries; and pilot tests in two relevant industrial companies.FindingsThe proposed maturity model has 41 variables considering five dimensions (organizational strategy, structure and culture; workforce; smart factories; smart processes; smart products and services). The studied companies showed different levels of Industry 4.0 implementation. According to respondents, the model is useful in making an initial diagnosis and establishes a roadmap to proceed the implementation.Practical implicationsEmpirical evidence supports the relevance of the proposed model and its practical usefulness. It can be used to measure the current state (initial diagnostic and monitoring assessments), and to plan the future desired state (goal), identifying which transformational capabilities should be developed.Originality/valueThe literature review did not return an enough complete maturity model to guide a self-administered assessment. Therefore, the proposed model is a valuable tool for companies and researchers to understand the I4.0 phenomenon, plan and monitor the transformation actions.