The Need for Smart Shop Floor Management in the Automotive Industry: Potentials, Challenges and Requirements

Industry 4.0 and the accompanying digital transformation of the modern-day factory have led to various advances in manufacturing. Shop floor management (SFM) - a core instrument of production management - has to align with these digital advances as well. However, due to SFM's strong human-centric roots and manufacturers predominantly conducting SFM through analog means, it raises the question of what sort of digital support should be used for SFM and what specifications should be included in digital SFM systems. This study, consisting of a case study comprising semi-structured interviews and on-site inspections at a large original equipment manufacturer (OEM), provides concrete requirements for digitally-supported SFM derived from practice. We investigated which elements from analog SFM should be retained and where possible improvements through digital support exist. Moreover, we identified definitive improvement potentials such as the aggregation of data sources, as well as the preparation, performance, and documentation of shop floor meetings without disruptions in information flows. We conclude that digital transformation in the SFM context neither implies the mere introduction of software to solve specific problems, nor the full automation of SFM processes through digital solutions (what we call "digital" SFM). Rather, we highlight the importance of "smart SFM": the adoption of sociotechnical systems in which SFM's traditional social characteristics are maintained but are simultaneously sensibly augmented with digital solutions to improve SFM processes.