Evaluating the industry 4.0 readiness of manufacturing companies: A case study in Kuwait

Abstract

The project discusses a case study on evaluating Industry 4.0 (I4.0) readiness in manufacturing companies in Kuwait. To assess the I4.0 readiness of the firms, the IMPULS I4.0 readiness survey was distributed to manufacturing companies. The purpose of the survey is to determine the readiness level and the progress of companies on their journey towards I4.0. Survey results were then analyzed and showed that the readiness in the Data-Driven Services dimension was around 60% and is considered the highest percentage in the analysis. On the other hand, the Employees dimension had the lowest readiness percentage of 23%. The results illustrated that Kuwaiti manufacturing companies need the most improvements in the Employees dimension. Based on the survey results, the ABC Company was selected as a case study for I4.0 digital twin implementation. Two simulation models were created for the production line of blue plastic drums in the company, one for the current line and another for after the implementation of I4.0. The results indicated that the throughput of the ABC Company will improve 228% with the I4.0 implementation and the investment will be recovered in 4 years.