SME

Agility as Consequence or Prerequisite of Digitization?

Agility as Consequence or Prerequisite of Digitization?

Dominic Lindner, Michael Amberg
Companies have always been in a constant state of change. This change is today closely linked to the buzzword’s “digitization” and “agility”. Agile methods, especially in complex projects, can pave the way for targeted digitization and, on the other hand, provide a more agile way of working for digital technologies. Through group discussions with managers from small and medium-sized IT companies, this article focuses on the question of whether agility is the precondition or consequence of targeted digitization. This article is aimed at decision-makers from SMEs who want to increase the degree of agility in the company in the context of increasing digitization.
Industrie 4.0 Management | Volume 35 | 2019 | Edition 4 | Pages 30-34 | DOI 10.30844/I40M_19-4_S30-34
Knowledge Management at SMEs by Assistance Systems

Knowledge Management at SMEs by Assistance Systems

Effizienzsteigernder Einsatz von Assistenzsystemen in KMU
Mandy Tawalbeh, Luise Weißflog, Hendrik Hopf
Industry 4.0 and digitalisation are also increasingly finding their way into everyday production processes in SMEs. The focus is e. g. on assistance systems that support employees in their work. Resulting communication is significantly facilitated and at the same time the required information is available at the appropriate workplace at the right time. The ‘Mittelstand 4.0 Kompetenzzentrum Chemnitz‘ has dedicated itself to this challenge together with two SMEs.
Industrie 4.0 Management | Volume 35 | 2019 | Edition 3 | Pages 15-18
Industry 4.0 Platforms from the Perspective of SMEs

Industry 4.0 Platforms from the Perspective of SMEs

How to tackle managerial challenges
Julian M. Müller, Johannes W. Veile, Kai-Ingo Voigt
Digitalen Plattformen im Kontext von Industrie 4.0 werden zahlreiche Potenziale zugeschrieben. Allerdings birgt deren Implementierung und Nutzung einige Herausforderungen, insbesondere für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen. Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht die Herausforderungen durch digitale Plattformen mithilfe von qualitativ-empirischen Interviews von 83 Experten aus mittelständischen deutschen Industrieunternehmen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass unter anderem Herausforderungen in Bezug auf Vertrauen, Konkurrenzdenken und Koordinationsaufwand existieren. Aus den Ergebnissen können strategische Handlungsempfehlungen abgeleitet werden, wie mittelständische Unternehmen den Herausforderungen begegnen können, um die Potenziale von digitalen Plattformen zu heben.
Industrie 4.0 Management | Volume 35 | 2019 | Edition 3 | Pages 63-66
Industry 4.0 Is Not Just Digital Change, But It Is Revolution

Industry 4.0 Is Not Just Digital Change, But It Is Revolution

Thomas Steckenreiter, Thorsten Pötter, Claus Riehle
The story behind “Industry 4.0” has a much bigger scope as it is talked about, according to the authors particularly in the management of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). For this reason the paper on one hand lists the essential prerequisites for Industry 4.0, on the other hand it describes the features of the “Digitalisation” which make the upcoming move revolutionary. A consequent digitalisation of processes in organisations in terms of automation takes away people’s effort for decision-making as well as semi-autonomous, networked artificial intelligence (AI) does. This facilitates and irritates participants of organisation equally. The digital transformation will have consequences for production and organisation therefore, i.e. this change will influence technology and corporate culture.
Industrie 4.0 Management | Volume 34 | 2018 | Edition 2 | Pages 43-47 | DOI 10.30844/I40M18-2_43-47
Digitization of SMEs – How Digitized are They?

Digitization of SMEs - How Digitized are They?

Wie digitalisiert sehen sich die Unternehmen und wie digitalisiert sind diese tatsächlich?
Marko Ott, Christian Leyh
Due to an ongoing digitization of everyday life and fast changes in the business environment, enterprises face numerous external and internal challenges. In order to stay compe-titive, enterprises, especially SMEs require an effective use of information and communication technology (ICT) as well as a deep understanding of ICT in general and in digital innovation in particular. In this paper, we reveal the self-assessment of 24 companies regarding their own digitization level and ICT use as well as regarding further aspects, challenges and requirements regarding the complex topic of digitization.
Industrie 4.0 Management | Volume 33 | 2017 | Edition 3 | Pages 21-25
Consistent Information Exchange by E-Business-Sets

Consistent Information Exchange by E-Business-Sets

Einsatz von E-Business-Standards in den Geschäftsprozessen von kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen
Dennis Schiemann, Pit Heimes, Klaus Kaufmann, Ralph Backes
The research project “eStep Mittelstand - modular solutions for SME to strengthen the independent integration of ebusiness standards in complex supply chain processes” has developed solutions to build up the usage of ebusiness standards in business processes of SME. The methods and models enable SME to run successful ebusiness projects despite high complexity. The transformation to standardized, electronic business processes will be facilitated by the self assessment tool (SAT), the decision tree (EB) and the eStep Mittelstand Middleware (eMiMi). A DIN SPEC, developed together with the Deutschen Institut für Normung (DIN) e. V., provides a guideline to enlarge the functionalities of SAT and EB.
Industrie 4.0 Management | Volume 33 | 2017 | Edition 2 | Pages 33-36
Industrial Robots for SMEs – Flexible and Intuitive Process Specifications

Industrial Robots for SMEs - Flexible and Intuitive Process Specifications

Flexible und intuitive Prozessbeschreibung
Markus Rickert, Alexander Perzylo
The requirements of industrial production have drastically changed in the past. Mass production has been the predominant approach for decades, but there is a growing demand for individualized goods. In particular, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) deal with small lot sizes and even single-item production. These companies have very demanding requirements for robot deployment. Programming robots must be time efficient and not require specific expertise in robotics, so that shop floor workers can use them. In this article, we introduce a knowledge-based approach to address these issues.
Industrie 4.0 Management | Volume 32 | 2016 | Edition 2 | Pages 46-49
Contribution of Learning Factories to Industry 4.0

Contribution of Learning Factories to Industry 4.0

Ein Baustein zur vierten industriellen Revolution bei kleinen und mittelständischen Unternehmen
Mario Kleindienst, Christian Ramsauer
The term Industry 4.0 has changed from a fashionable issue to a serious research and future-topic in industrial production. Research organisations work on sophisticated technologies and concepts to implement this fourth industrial revolution, research grants are provided generously and model factories get decorated. However, many companies still cannot understand the term industry 4.0 and the related consequences on their own business. Especially small and medium sized enterprises have not understood the benefits. For that reason the currently existing learning factory at the institute of industrial management and innovation research at Graz University of Technology is enlarged to an industry 4.0 learning factory. The concept behind is the object of this article.
Industrie Management | Volume 31 | 2015 | Edition 3 | Pages 41-44
Networking Capabilities of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Networking Capabilities of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Methodological network management support
Armin Lau, Meike Tilebein ORCID Icon
Collaboration in dynamic networks enables in particular small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to combine own resources and competences with complementary services of partners in order to improve competitiveness and to distribute risks. However, for the organization of setting up, efficiently operating and eventually also dissolving such networks, SMEs often lack necessary capabilities and human resources. Within this article, a methodology for network management is presented which comprises SME-suitable and easily applicable methods that significantly support efficient network management. The success of the methodology is illustrated with an example from the networked development of an innovative motorcycle helmet.
Industrie Management | Volume 30 | 2014 | Edition 3 | Pages 43-46
Ways Out of the Human Resources Dilemma

Ways Out of the Human Resources Dilemma

SMEs Use Sustainable Strategies for Recruiting Highly Talented Employees
Werner Geilenkirchen
Small and medium enterprises (SME) in Germany are in a good mood. More than 90 % of the SMEs are in an appropriate economic situation reports the Bundesverband mittelständische Wirtschaft (BVMW). About 38 % of these companies expect a higher turnover in 2014 [1]. But there is one real problem the companies are faced with: the lack of skilled labour.
Industrie Management | Volume 30 | 2014 | Edition 3 | Pages 35-38
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