CCMS Model: A Novel Approach to Digitalization Level Assessment for Manufacturing Companies.

Today, a significant number of different models and methods are available to assess the readiness of industrial companies concerning Industry 4.0 implementation. In this respect, the SMEs are in the most vulnerable position. Thus, there is a need for a critical review and analysis of the existing models' fit while recognizing the specific requirements of this type of enterprise. The results of a study that has become a point of reference (Mittal 2018) show that only a limited number of the smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 roadmaps, maturity models, frameworks, and readiness assessments available today reflect at least partly the specific requirements and challenges of SMEs. In this paper, an attempt is made to introduce a solution to mitigate this gap, that considers cultural and location-specific, ecosystem-related restrictions or influences (macro-level view) and particular company-level aspects (micro-level view), as well. The CCMS (Company CoMpaSs) model developed by EPIC InnoLabs is based on an online survey and considers both business and technological views. The answers given by the respondent company are weighted, and intervention points are selected from a predefined set of eight elements per dimension, on the basis of analyzing the responses (coming from different areas). The output of the model (besides the statistical evaluation of the results like comparisons to averages derived from metadata) is a prioritized list of intervention points that shows the most important fields of action for the respondent on an interactive dashboard. The applied weightings are determined by the model creators and result from the inherent structure of the model. The questions and the weights can also be changed as the used technologies evolve. CCMS provides a quick (meaning that the respondent gets prompt results), low-risk, online maturity assessment for manufacturing SMEs, which helps decision-makers to determine target maturity levels in different fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]