Subject category:
Production and Operations Management
Published by:
International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
Revision date: 24-Jun-2020
Length: 35 pages
Data source: Field research
Abstract
This case is a workshop exercise built with SmarterChains, an Industry 4.0 enterprise intelligence platform. It is a complement to a class session on Industry 4.0, a difficult subject to teach as it comprises dozens of technologies that are evolving rapidly and whose use cases can be difficult to immediately grasp without concrete examples. Often, the managerial challenges of digital transformation are underemphasized in both the classroom and for practitioners. Through the concrete example of a consumer goods factory, this workshop encourages students to consider the managerial challenges of building an Industry 4.0 roadmap while illustrating concrete use cases for several key technologies. The students are given information about the current state of the factory. and are provided with around 30 cards describing potential technologies the factory could choose to apply. Working in groups, they are asked to select up to 10 technologies to apply, in a sequence of their choosing. The students can then share their proposed roadmaps, as well as comparing theirs with the one proposed by SmarterChains. The case is supplemented by videos to provide context.
About
Abstract
This case is a workshop exercise built with SmarterChains, an Industry 4.0 enterprise intelligence platform. It is a complement to a class session on Industry 4.0, a difficult subject to teach as it comprises dozens of technologies that are evolving rapidly and whose use cases can be difficult to immediately grasp without concrete examples. Often, the managerial challenges of digital transformation are underemphasized in both the classroom and for practitioners. Through the concrete example of a consumer goods factory, this workshop encourages students to consider the managerial challenges of building an Industry 4.0 roadmap while illustrating concrete use cases for several key technologies. The students are given information about the current state of the factory. and are provided with around 30 cards describing potential technologies the factory could choose to apply. Working in groups, they are asked to select up to 10 technologies to apply, in a sequence of their choosing. The students can then share their proposed roadmaps, as well as comparing theirs with the one proposed by SmarterChains. The case is supplemented by videos to provide context.