Titulo Estágio
An information system for assessing and guiding industry 4.0 strategies
Áreas de especialidade
Sistemas de Informação
Local do Estágio
DEI-FCTUC
Enquadramento
A new industrial revolution has started. It is the fourth (industry 4.0 or I4.0), according to the World Economic Forum (WEF), and promises drastic changes in organizations. European countries have this topic at the top of their political agendas, which involves digital innovations and reshaped business processes. We can find similar movements around the globe, for example, Advanced Manufacturing in the United States and Made in China 2025 in Asia. According to Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the WEF, “we are in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which will affect governments, businesses and economies in very substantial ways. We should not underestimate the change ahead of us” (Schwab 2015).
Industry 4.0 poses many challenges for companies that aim to transform their business with disruptive technologies. For example, how to (1) evaluate the “industry 4.0 readiness”, (2) identify priorities for actions, and (3) appraise the impact of technologies in their business. Examples of these physical and digital technologies include “analytics, additive manufacturing, robotics, high-performance computing, natural language processing, artificial intelligence and cognitive technologies, advanced materials, and augmented reality” (Cotteleer and Sniderman, 2017).
Maturity models are a possible solution to assist organizations in industry 4.0. It is possible to find online self-assessment tools for Industry 4.0 (e.g. IMPULS 2016; PwC 2016) and new assessment models are emerging in universities. The national initiative SHIFT to 4.0 (ISQ and IAPMEI, 2019) is another recent example, adapting the IMPULS “Industry 4.0 Readiness Online Self-Check” for the Portuguese reality.
However, the majority of existing models mainly focus the diagnosis phase (the current state of digital transformation or the AS-IS), lacking tools that also assist companies during the transformation process, establishing actions and assessing their impact over time. Current maturity models for Industry 4.0 have limitations when applied in different sectors of the economy, and are, themselves, in initial stages of maturity. These limitations include an excessive focus on the organizational problems instead of providing solutions:
- Current I4.0 assessment models are general and face difficulties when used in specific sectors of the economy;
- Current models focus the identification of problems; missing the support for solutions;
- Current online platform allows assessment but do not assist the transformation process; do not support the definition of indicators for change; and were made to use once – limited to the diagnosing phase;
Studies conducted by the Information Systems group (ISG) at DEI/FCTUC suggest that it is possible to address these limitations with a model tailored for each sector of the economy.
References:
Cotteleer, M., & Sniderman, B. (2017). Forces of change: Industry 4.0. Deloitte Insights. https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/focus/industry-4-0/overview.html [Accessed 24/05/2019].
IMPULS (2016). Industry 4.0 Readiness Online Self-Check for Businesses. https://www.industrie40-readiness.de/?lang=en [Accessed 24/05/2019].
ISQ and IAPMEI (2019). SHIFT to 4.0. https://www.iapmei.pt/PRODUTOS-E-SERVICOS/Assistencia-Tecnica-e-Formacao/Ferramentas/SHIFT-to-4-0.aspx [Accessed 24/05/2019].
PwC (2016): https://i40-self-assessment.pwc.de/i40/landing/ [Accessed 24/05/2019].
Schwab, K. (2015). Will the Fourth Industrial Revolution have a human heart? https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/10/will-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-have-a-human-heart-and-soul/ [Accessed 24/05/2019].
Additional Readings:
Barata, J., & Cunha, P. R. (2017). Climbing the Maturity Ladder in Industry 4.0: A Framework for Diagnosis and Action that Combines National and Sectorial Strategies. In 23rd Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS). Boston, USA.
Felch, V., Björn A., & Sucky, E. (2019). Maturity models in the age of Industry 4.0–Do the available models correspond to the needs of business practice? In 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). Maui, Hawaii, USA.
Objetivo
The main objectives of this work are:
1. Evaluate existing maturity models for industry 4.0;
2. Propose a model that can be used at the diagnosis phase (assessing) but also during the industry 4.0 transformation (guiding). One possibility is to adapt the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) developed by the Carnegie Mellon University;
3. Develop a web-based tool to support the adoption of the proposed model by organizations.
This project may be integrated in a wider line of research under preparation by ISG/CISUC in cooperation with the Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, aiming to improve existing models for industry 4.0 implementation.
Plano de Trabalhos - Semestre 1
The main phases for the first semester are presented as follows:
1) Study of the state-of-the-art: industry 4.0 and maturity models.
Start: September 2019
Duration: 1 month
2) Study of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI).
Start: October 2019
Duration: 1 month
3) Proposal of the model for industry 4.0 strategies.
Start: November 2019
Duration: 1 month
Results of the 1st semester:
• Structure of the model for industry 4.0 strategies (dimensions, possible questions for companies, I4.0 processes, type of inputs,…)
• Architecture for an online tool that support the model implementation.
• Intermediate report.
Plano de Trabalhos - Semestre 2
The main phases for the second semester are presented as follows:
4) Development of web-based solution for assessing industry 4.0 and supporting the transformation process.
Start: January 2020
Duration: 2 months
5) Tests and validation with pilot companies involved with industry 4.0 investments.
Start: March 2020
Duration: 2 months
6) Writing of the thesis and a scientific paper
Start: May 2020
Duration: 2 months
Results of the 2nd semester:
• Online tool for industry 4.0 assessment and guidance
• Scientific publication
• Final report
Condições
The student will be integrated in the Information Systems group (ISG) of CISUC, Department of Informatics Engineering, University of Coimbra. A workplace and the required resources will be provided.
The student will have the opportunity to travel to the selected companies and to present the papers that are accepted at conferences, with expenses paid.
Observações
The development of the model and the testing of the web-based tool may involve cooperation with organizations adopting industry 4.0. Knowledge about web programming is important.
The student will be engaged with the activities of ISG in a topic with major relevance for industries worldwide. Therefore, this work offers an opportunity to strengthen the skills of IT consultancy and IS design for digital transformation.
Orientador
João Barata; Paulo Rupino da Cunha
barata@dei.uc.pt 📩