Adapting to industry 4.0: a case study in a manufacturer SME

• Autor(a) principal: Gameiro, Alexandre Lopes Duarte
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/24041
• topic: Industry 4.0; Maturity level; Smart manufacturing; Small and medium-sized enterprises; Business model innovation; Indústria 4.0; Nível de maturidade; Manufatura inteligente; PME Pequenas e Médias Empresas; Inovação do modelo de negócio

The digital era is characterized by a transverse transformation across all sectors of society. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0 is defined by increases in productivity, harmony between all components of the value chain, and better relationships with customers, through the implementation of new technologies. This project deals with the preparation of companies for this new reality, using company H as a case study. Company H is a SME in the manufacturing industry, characterized by weak technological advances and intensive human labor. The main objective of the present study is to demonstrate how this company can analyze its current way of doing business and create and develop an innovation strategy that will make it thrive in this new technological era. To get a better understanding of company H´s current situation, its maturity level was analyzed, and the business model was described. Interviews with the company´s employees were conducted, and it was possible to conclude that company H´s equipment and infrastructures do not represent smart features, processes are mostly performed manually by workers, resources are scarce and data acquisition and processing is not an activity performed by the company. At the end of this project, it was possible to propose some changes to the company´s current business model that could help in the path of technological innovation.