DETERMINATION OF ENGINEERING DIGITALIZATIO - Tafivizi Zavarch
DETERMINATION OF ENGINEERING DIGITALIZATIO - Tafivizi Zavarch
DETERMINATION OF ENGINEERING DIGITALIZATIO - Tafivizi Zavarch
ABSTRACT
Engineering Digitalization enables development of new high intelligent products containing
mechanical, electrical, software and communication components. As these complex products are result
of multidisciplinary engineering processes, digitalization also enforces companies to raise, adapt and
revise their engineering competencies and process capabilities to increase agility and maintain
competitiveness. Also, the growing amount of data related to product and processes requires a well-
structured management concept. In order to encounter all these changes and new requirements
companies should identify their specific strengths and weaknesses and derive needs for action. This
paper presents a novel maturity model for evaluation of capabilities of Engineering Digitalization in
areas of processes, products, services, data, human and organization. The maturity model enables the
detection of enhancement potentials and conception of individual digitalization plans for production
companies. It has been composed based on a proven multidisciplinary engineering methodology along
the product lifecycle process, which includes Model Based Systems Engineering Methods, and a
multilevel IT architecture integration concept.
Keywords: Systems Engineering (SE), Digital / Digitised engineering value chains, Product Lifecycle
Management (PLM), Maturity Model, System Lifecycle Management
Contact:
Tafvizi Zavareh, Mona
TU Kaiserslautern
MV
Germany
[email protected]
Cite this article: Tafvizi Zavareh, M., Eigner, M. (2021) ‘Determination of Engineering Digitalization Maturity’, in
ICED21 of the International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED21), Gothenburg, Sweden, 16-20 August 2021.
Proceedings 1
DOI:10.1017/pds.2021.119
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1 INTRODUCTION
In the future, the Internet of Things and Services (IOT/IOS) assume connected products and services.
Electronics and software will continue to increase in this type of products, systems and embedded
services. If products communicate with each other over the Internet, they are called Cyberphysical or
Cybertronic systems. These directions will have several consequences: interdisciplinary, regionally
and organizationally distributed and integrated product development, a rethinking of today’s design
processes, methods, IT solutions and organizational forms, as well as the demand for end-to-end pro-
cesses based on digital models from the requirements definition, system architecture, product devel-
opment, simulation, production planning, to production, service and operation. Furthermore, planning
and design methodologies of all disciplines – mechanics, electronics and software – must be put to the
test and their suitability for a new approach to product and service development must be reviewed in
order to convert them into a common, integrated and interdisciplinary method, process and IT solution
approach. This approach of digitalizing products, systems, services and their development is called
Engineering 4.0. The basics are methods of Systems Thinking (ST), Advanced Systems Engineering
(ASE) and Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). The digitalization of products, systems and
services means a transformation process that rearranges the classic boundaries of a fragmented and
competing IT solution world, away from silo thinking to a consistent integrative approach in engineer-
ing. A lightweight and federated engineering backbone will play the role of data and process integra-
tion throughout the entire Product Life Cycle (PLC), including service operations. Another key point
of digitization is the horizontal and vertical integration of intellectual, technical and administrative
work processes along the PLC (Eigner, 2021). However, it is still unclear how companies can explicit-
ly approach digitalization and digital transformation and can realize it in a structured way. In fact,
digitalization is only the means and not the goal and should make the organizations more efficient,
productive and ultimately profitable.
The maturity model presented in this paper enables the detection of enhancement potentials and concep-
tion of individual digitalization plans for production companies. This maturity model has been composed
based on a proven multidisciplinary engineering methodology along the product lifecycle and integrates
further organizational technological and human aspects. It allows a company to compare its performance
in different fields according to the goal state and reveals individual potentials and challenges.
1The VPE System Development Methodology has been developed since 2014 in several research projects funded by the Federal Government by the Institute of
Virtual Product Engineering (VPE). Eigner (2021).
2 In the following the term product is used for the product and the production system
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(Ashton, 2009) and service-oriented business models as well as new IT technologies, architectures and
standards (big data, 3D printing, OSLC/ REST, multi-tenant data bases,) that enable the implementa-
tion of these requirements. The digitalization of products and product development means a transfor-
mation process that rearranges the classic boundaries of a fragmented and competing IT solution
world. A consistent, lightweight and federated engineering backbone will play the role of data and
process integration between product and production development, production/manufacturing and as-
sembly, and service. In extension to the traditional PLM approach the central Engineering Backbone
solution is called System Lifecycle Management (SysLM) (Eigner, 2014, 2021). SysLM extends the PLM
approach upstream (full integration of system modelling) and downstream (integration of engineering
and production planning) and is based on actual WEB-based software technology. For the mental trans-
formation of silo-oriented thinking on an interdisciplinary and system-technical approach and the IT-
implementation of Engineering 4.0, MBSE, ST, ASE and SysLM can serve as a central guideline.
Figure 1. VPE system development methodology (Dickopf, 2020; Eigner et al., 2019;
Eigner, 2021)
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3 MATURITY ASSESSMENT
As mentioned above, companies are under increasing pressure to innovate and improve their products,
reduce time to market and cut costs. The implementation of suitable technologies, processes and
methods in engineering is the basis for mastering new challenges, especially with regard to digitaliza-
tion (Gausemeier et al., 2017; Abramovici, 2018; Tafvizi Zavareh et al., 2018). The development of
cybertronic products (also referred as smart products) and their service systems as a main challenge for
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the companies requires multidisciplinary collaboration, integrated processes, and availability (tracea-
bility) of data and information throughout the entire PLC (Eigner, 2021). For this reason, companies
strive to update their digital skills according to their needs.
Furthermore, to make best strategic options, companies are hold to determine their own strengths and
weaknesses and identify their potential and risks (Wagner et al., 2017; Issa et al., 2017). The introduc-
tion and integration of new technologies in terms of an integrated digitalized engineering requires
extensive well-studied planning and thus financial and human resources that are often missing. Based
on a comprehensive, founded self-assessment, future needs for action can be easily derived and possi-
bilities for achieving higher effectiveness, innovativeness, adaptability and profitability can be identi-
fied (Reichert, 2020; Bauer et al., 2019). Also identifying deficits can reveal neglected or less focused,
but not unimportant areas and indicate necessary changes within a company.
To obtain a reasonable holistic view of company’s engineering development degree, not only prod-
ucts, but also processes, technologies, organizational conditions, staff competencies and strategies
must be thoroughly evaluated (Gausemeier et al., 2002). For this purpose, the progress level can be
evaluated by means of a digital maturity assessment in order to advance and ultimately validate the
company’s level of digitalization (Schumacher et al., 2019).
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ture lacks an engineering-specific maturity model, which should simultaneously address digitalization,
MBSE and the integration approach to SysLM.
Another striking characteristic is the background of the here presented model. The majority of the
available models are based on a collection of best practices, whose implementation is recommended.
They refer to themselves as reference models and follow different sources for each criterion. However,
the VPE Engineering Digitalization Maturity Model (VPE-EDMM) aims to present a step-by-step
approach for the implementation of the well-founded VPE System Development Methodology, which
integrates the mentioned important aspects in sections 2.1 and 2.2. into a holistic matter.
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Table 1. Dimensions and indicators
Dimension Exemplary maturity indicators
Engineering Processes and Vertical Integration, Horizontal Integration (see 4.3)
Tools
Products and Services MBSE Methods (modelling methods), Cybertronic Products
Development Development (sensors, connectivity, services, ...)
Data Handling Big Data (handling of data amount, velocity, variety, ..), im-
plementation of Data Technologies (Iot, AI, ..)
People (Spec. Engineers) Employee’s Development and Involvement (digital compe-
tencies, Interdisciplinary competencies), Work Conditions
Organizational Culture Enterprise Culture (decision making, communication), Strat-
egy (business model, innovation management) ...
Organizational Structure Team structure (flat Structures, tools), Responsibilities (Chief
Digital Officer, Development Operation Units)
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5 OUTLOOK
Based on the comprehensive maturity assessment, potentials for engineering digitization can be identi-
fied on the basis of which a strategy or an individual roadmap can be developed. In order to be able to
carry out a targeted maturity assessment, fundamental company characteristics such as company size,
business sector, market segment, organizational structures and existing strategies must be also record-
ed. The maturity of the individual competencies and skills should be determined, which can take place,
for example, through surveys and interviews of employees. The maturity assessment is best done by
people who are most familiar with the respective topics, such as development managers on issues re-
lated to quality in product development.
Further content of VPE-EDMM dimensions for evaluation of Personnel development, Organizational
Culture, Organizational Structure and Data Handling as well as individual validation of results will be
published later. More research can be done also on benchmark studies with relation to engineering
capabilities.
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