FEBRUARY 2019 INDUSTRY 4.0
challenges as we move towards fully connected,
self-organising intelligent factories. The reality
is that many still do not have a coherent plan for
Industry 4.0 implementation. The solution to this
could be the Industry 4.0 Maturity Index, which
delivers a step-by-step goal-based approach.
Some automation companies currently
use Industry 4.0 only in selected areas of the
organisation. However, in order to unlock all
the opportunities offered by connected and
smart production, efforts need to be extended to
include logistics and customer service into the
Industry 4.0 approach.
To address these challenges, Deutsche
Akademie der Technikwissenschaften (acatech),
the German National Academy of Science and
Engineering, has developed the Industry 4.0
Maturity Index. The index was developed by
a consortium of research institutions working
under the umbrella of acatech. TÜV SÜD also
contributed its expert knowledge in the field of
industrial IT security.
The objective of this group of experts was
to create a tool that enabled Industry 4.0 to be
introduced in manageable steps. The tool provides
manufacturers of automation systems with a solid
basis and certainty for their investments and
planning. The model covers the entire value chain
and focuses on the defined individual benefits for
the company.
Six stages
The index is a systematic guideline,
supporting companies in the integration and
continuous improvement of their IT and wider
communication systems. To this end, it defines
six successive stages:
1 Computerisation: while the use of IT and
process automation has already become
the standard, companies still use insular
information systems at this stage.
2Connectivity: once the individual
components are connected, companies
have reached the maturity stage of
connectivity and implemented digitalisation
as defined in this guideline. However, they
have not yet achieved full integration between
information and operational technologies.
3Visibility: at this stage, companies start
to use sensors for real-time recording of
conditions and processes. They produce a
digital model of production, a ‘digital shadow’
that shows what is happening at any given point
in time.
4Transparency: once companies use the
digital shadow to identify and understand
interactions, they have reached stage four.
To do so, they need to interpret the recorded
data in the relevant contexts by applying
engineering knowledge. Big data applications
are deployed in parallel to business application
systems, such as ERP – or MES – systems, to
provide a common platform for extensive data
analysis across the site.
5Predictive capacity:
to simulate scenarios
and evaluate them in
terms of their likelihood
and consequences, the
digital shadow is projected
into the future. As a result,
companies can anticipate future
developments and make the
necessary decisions.
6Adaptability: at the highest
stage of maturity, the IT
systems will make these
decisions independently. At
this stage, Industry 4.0 has
been realised in full. IT systems
initiate the necessary alignment
measures automatically and
without delay. The extent
to which IT systems will be
allowed to act autonomously
depends on two aspects: first,
on the complexity of the
decision, and second, on the
cost-benefit ratio of automated
versus human actions.
Structured approach
The Maturity Index has
a modular structure and
covers five functional areas:
development, production,
logistics, services, and
marketing and sales. However,
Industry 4.0 is more than the
mere connection of cyberphysical
systems (CPS), as a
company’s corporate culture
is equally important to its
organisational structure. To
address this, the index therefore
defines four structural areas:
1Resources: include a
company’s workforce
and their competencies,
equipment, facilities, tools
and products.
2Information systems:
refer to socio-technical
systems in which people
and technology provide and
process data.
3Organisational
structure: covers rules
and structures which
control a company’s internal
and external relationships.
4Corporate culture:
refers to a company’s
value system, such as its
workforce’s willingness to
accept and shape change.
Application of the Maturity
Index covers three phases.
Sved Oliver /stock.adobe.com
The Industry 4.0
Maturity Index
tracks progress
through change,
explains Paul
Taylor (below)
The first phase is to analyse a
company’s current maturity
stage, using questionnaires,
on-site factory inspections
and workshops to provide an
overview of the current state
of digitalisation.
Phase two involves the
definition of specific goals,
including consideration of
both the use of digital processes
and corporate strategy. A gap
analysis then identifies the
capabilities and resources that
are still needed to achieve
these objectives.
The final phase sees the
experts develop a digital
roadmap to build-up these
capabilities, with actions
being prioritised on the basis
of a cost-benefit matrix.
The connected world of
Industry 4.0’s smart factories
adds a new and significant
dimension of complexity in
terms of machinery safety
challenges. What makes the
Maturity Index so useful is that
single action delivers measurable
benefits and the process is
traceable at all times.
www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk 39
/stock.adobe.com
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk