Article: Industry 4.0 roadmap for SMEs: validation of moderation techniques for creativity workshops Journal: International Journal of Agile Systems and Management (IJASM) 2021 Vol.14 No.2 pp.276 - 291 Abstract: Industry 4.0 is an element of entrepreneurial strategy to survive to rapidly and constantly changing markets. Several studies acknowledge that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) face challenges initiating innovation processes towards digital transformation. However, the success of the so called fourth industrial revolution will ultimately depend on whether SMEs can adopt and implement these technologies, as they represent the backbone of numerous economies worldwide. The present study aims at presenting the characteristics of a roadmap service supporting SMEs in the manufacturing and building sector throughout the technological and organisational planning of Industry 4.0 in their business strategies. The results of a social experiment to validate the selected design thinking techniques show that most of them enable innovation dynamics in creativity workshops for Industry 4.0 roadmaps and are useful for deriving an implementation plan for Industry 4.0 in SMEs. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Industry 4.0 roadmap for SMEs: validation of moderation techniques for creativity workshops

Authors: Riccardo Brozzi; Erwin Rauch; Michael Riedl; Dominik T. Matt

Addresses: Fraunhofer Italia Research s.c.a.r.l., Innovation Engineering Center (IEC), 39100 Bolzano, Italy ' Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Universitätsplatz 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy ' Fraunhofer Italia Research s.c.a.r.l., Innovation Engineering Center (IEC), 39100 Bolzano, Italy ' Fraunhofer Italia Research s.c.a.r.l., Innovation Engineering Center (IEC), 39100 Bolzano, Italy; Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Universitätsplatz 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy

Abstract: Industry 4.0 is an element of entrepreneurial strategy to survive to rapidly and constantly changing markets. Several studies acknowledge that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) face challenges initiating innovation processes towards digital transformation. However, the success of the so called fourth industrial revolution will ultimately depend on whether SMEs can adopt and implement these technologies, as they represent the backbone of numerous economies worldwide. The present study aims at presenting the characteristics of a roadmap service supporting SMEs in the manufacturing and building sector throughout the technological and organisational planning of Industry 4.0 in their business strategies. The results of a social experiment to validate the selected design thinking techniques show that most of them enable innovation dynamics in creativity workshops for Industry 4.0 roadmaps and are useful for deriving an implementation plan for Industry 4.0 in SMEs.

Keywords: Industry 4.0; roadmap; self-assessment; readiness; maturity model; SMEs; small and medium sized enterprises.

DOI: 10.1504/IJASM.2021.118064

International Journal of Agile Systems and Management, 2021 Vol.14 No.2, pp.276 - 291

Received: 10 Aug 2020
Accepted: 19 Oct 2020
Published online: 11 Oct 2021 *

Title: Industry 4.0 roadmap for SMEs: validation of moderation techniques for creativity workshops

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