Anticipating the future for manufacturing SMEs using the Smart Industry Maturity Scan

Our modern industry is on the edge of a movement towards a completely new digitized manufacturing era: the Smart Industry. In order to stay competitive in our globalized economy, the adoption of this Smart Industry is essential for businesses. Whereas large multinational corporations take the lead in these Smart Industrial developments, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises are often lagging behind facing lots of uncertainty and different challenges than multinationals. This research has indicated what Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises are currently doing in their anticipation towards the Smart Industry and what challenges Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises face in adopting the Smart Industry, by using a Smart Industry Maturity Scan and a Focus Group Discussion. It is confirmed in this study that Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises are often overwhelmed with all the Smart Industrial developments that bring lots of uncertainty and challenges with it.