Planning for Digitalisation in SMEs using Tools of the Digital Factory

Digitalisation offers ways as well as means for manufacturers to adapt their production systems to handle diversifying and rapidly changing market demands. Yet, small and medium sized enterprises are often overwhelmed by the speed of development of ICT solutions and business schemes. This paper discusses how tools of the Digital Factory enable decision-makers to assess digitalisation measures during the planning process to take full advantage of newly available technologies. Potentials and prerequisites are examined for the application of available tools. They are illustrated considering an in-depth example on the simulation of an automotive supplier’s tool management process.