Workshop series: Industrial Digital Transformation – Knowledge and experience exchange

Most small- and medium sized manufacturing enterprises (SMMEs) are investing a lot in trying to understand and capitalise on the opportunities offered by novel digital solutions. Hence, implementing digital solutions and reforming business models around novel digital solutions have become key development processes in the era of Industry 4.0. Often, the reformation of business models with the support on novel capabilities offered by digital solutions is referred to as digital transformation (DT).

The broad scope of DT includes several action-fields or dimension, e.g.  strategy, culture, organisation, customers and people/employees, besides the obvious field of technology. It may also be important to point out that technology is just one of the action-fields considered and it is neither more nor less important than the others. Research claims that most large manufacturing companies already, forced by e.g. competitors and market demands, have been rather progressive in their DT-journeys, whereas most SMMEs are still in the early phases of their transformation process. There are several reasons to be found and all companies are unique in their prerequisites and current situation, but knowledge and experience are often indicated as hinders. Especially since the novel digital solutions at hand challenges existing knowhow in the SMMEs, exposing them outside their proficiency in existing manufacturing- and production methods and techniques. For example, integrating and securing horizontal data streams to foster a seamless real-time understanding of individual products and the conditions in single manufacturing steps are partly new and unexplored areas of competence, challenging not only the production organisation, but the whole company. In addition, these challenges are not only of a technological culture, but also includes novel procedures and need with respect to e.g. competences to recruit, upskilling of coworkers and cultures for innovation and experimentation.

To address these opportunities and challenge the University of Skövde, as a member of the European digital hub Shiftlab, has developed a methodology and workshop series offered to SMMEs, aimed at catalysing their transformation process, by requiring new knowledge and sharing experiences between different SMMEs. This workshop series targets managers who have a strategic role in individual companies’ DT endeavors, including roles such as Production Manager, Technology Manager or IT Manager. Jointly and together with faculty members of the University of Skövde, the company representatives discuss new scientific theories and exchange experiences of opportunities and challenges in relation to digitalisation and DT, creating a synergetic atmosphere where issues are openly illustrated and described, but also scrutinised and brought into solutions.

The workshop series are aligned to the DT-framework developed by Bumann and Peter (2017). In their research they propose, as a result of a meta-analysis of 18 digital maturity models, six fundamental action-fields or business dimensions that are vital to consider in any DT strategy. The identified dimensions emerged through a commonness analysis, meaning that the six dimensions included in most models made it to the framework; strategy, organisation, culture, technology, customers, and people/employees.

During the workshop series, we meet six times, two full days and four half days. The series is initiated with an introduction and concluded by a final assessment and presentation. Each action-field are covered during a half day, including theory, interesting research results and discussions. For each action-field is also presented a method and/or tool to be used for assessing and evaluating the status/progress at the company. When completing the workshop series they have made an initial evaluation of their company´s digital maturity based on the six action-fields of DT. They also have a tool box for further work and development.

Four companies participated the pilot workshop series during spring 2024. During the workshop series we visited the different companies and also had a tour of their production facilities. This was much appreciated and lot of discussions about implemented solutions were initiated. The main result of the workshop series are as previously described:

• The participants have got broader and deeper knowledge of DT and how you can make it happen.

• The participants have made an initial evaluation of their companies digital maturity.

• The participants have got a tool box for further work and development aiming a DT of their organisation.

Beside the increased knowledge and refilled toolbox for an continued transformation endevour,  three other outcomes as a result of us meeting and discussing during the workshop series stand out:

• Identified approaches and solutions to common production system challenges led to that two of the companies booked further visits at each plant so that their colleagues also would have the chance to see what and how the others had approached the common challenges within production processes.

• Two of the companies decided to “swap” staff for a limited time so that experiences and knowledge could flow between the two organisations. Each company identified a couple of individuals within production engineering who then would stay for some weeks at the other company. This exchange is planned for autumn 2024.

• One of the companies found out that that another company had addressed a specific welding problem they had struggled with for a while. After the workshop series they continued working together further addressing the challenge.

The companies involved in the workshop series definitely showed evidence on sharing some of the common challenges related to SMMEs in relation to DT. Following the finding of Kane, et al. (2015) the companies had problems with too many priorities and also lacked a digital strategy which could guide them in the overall planning as well as act as a guiding star when prioritising internal resources, such as IT and production development resources. 

Meeting people from different companies and have the possibility to discuss and approach different challenges, in different guises, that everyone faces is stimulating and rewarding. It is not only the company representatives who learn new things during these workshops. Also as a researcher these workshops have been very rewarding and collaboration with the companies engaged has continued and deepened. So a lesson learned is really – Do it! Meet each other and discuss the challenges you are facing. Much insight and experience are released during these meetings. 

Using a series of workshops to discuss and dig into such a complex challenge as DT was fruitful and received good feedback from the participants during the concluding evaluation. Of course, not every company have the possibility to engage as much time (six occasions) but an “offer” only including short seminars and a one-day workshop does not have a chance to address such a composite area as DT. It has been positive that we can offer a palette of events within the DT-area, from an introducing short seminar to a six-occasion workshop.