Abstract

Many firms have started Industry 4.0 (I4.0) initiatives in recent years, without having a sound understanding of the effects generated by the technologies introduction. This research provides indications of what to expect from the implementation of two key technologies for I4.0: big data analytics and manufacturing execution systems. The study explores the relationships between these technologies’ implementation and a set of performance effects. Additionally, it analyses the influence of the organisational structure. A set of hypotheses derived from literature builds the basis for the quantitative analysis of an industry survey with 116 participants from German-speaking countries. The results show that these technologies have distinct, partially unexpected, performance effects. Furthermore, this research provides evidence that the organisational structure of technology implementation plays no significant role in the attainment of higher technology implementation levels.

摘要

近年来，许多公司已经启动了工业 4.0 (I4.0) 计划，但并未充分了解技术引入所产生的影响。这项研究提供了对 I4.0 的两项关键技术实施的期望：大数据分析和制造执行系统。该研究探讨了这些技术的实施与一组性能影响之间的关系。此外，它分析了组织结构的影响。来自文献的一组假设为对来自德语国家的 116 名参与者的行业调查进行定量分析奠定了基础。结果表明，这些技术具有明显的、部分出乎意料的性能影响。此外，