Development Of A Software-based Tool For Factory Communication Structure Evaluation In The Context Of Industry 4.0

Abstract

The environment of manufacturing companies is constantly changing. Industry 4.0 as an overarching contemporary trend constantly places new demands on production technology. But Industry 4.0 does not only have new requirements to the production technology, but also to the communication in factories. The capacity for innovation and thus the success of companies is significantly influenced by the effective communication between the employees. Therefore, it is necessary that companies systematically adapt their communication structures according to these communication requirements. This paper addresses this aspect, by developing a method and a software-based tool which should allow the mentioned adjustment. The aim is to enable companies in the manufacturing sector to record and evaluate their communication structures at low cost. Furthermore, they should be able to derive effective measures efficiently through the developed method and to use them for their individual needs.