Systematic analysis of needs and requirements for the design of smart manufacturing systems in SMEs☆

With the increasing trend of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0 or smart manufacturing, many companies are now facing the challenge of implementing Industry 4.0 methods and technologies. This is a challenge especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, as they have neither sufficient human nor financial resources to deal with the topic sufficiently. However, since small and medium-sized enterprises form the backbone of the economy, it is particularly important to support these companies in the introduction of Industry 4.0 and to develop appropriate tools. This work is intended to fill this gap and to enhance research on Industry 4.0 for small and medium-sized enterprises by presenting an exploratory study that has been used to systematically analyze and evaluate the needs and translate them into a final list of (functional) requirements and constraints using axiomatic design as scientific approach.