An analysis of a manufacturing company to transform into industry_4.0 using systems engineering approach

Rapid changes in technology have taken the society to the brink of Industry_4.0. It aims at digitalizing the entire production with low cost, low energy consumption and high efficiency rates. Interfaces between human and the other elements of the system are expected to be as minimum as possible. Hence, operational and maintenance functions are broken down into job operations, duties, tasks, sub-tasks and task elements to support the concept. Transformation into Industry_4.0 will change from country to country, from company to company and will require to study their current position with respect to the concept. Having such a concept identified, this thesis explains how a company can be analyzed and directed for the Industry_4.0 in an interval of a future period of time. This study has been done for a manufacturing company in OSTİM which is a very well qualified regional industrial site in Ankara. Systems Engineering concepts, approaches and techniques have been used within this context. The systems engineering approach deals with complex systems as a whole, rather than looking at functions separately. In the process of transformation to Industry_4.0, user requirements have been identified for the company with the help of Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method, SSADM. Starting from the user requirements to functional, departmental and company-wide requirements have been identified. Cost breakdown structure and its requirement of digitalization have been identified in the same way. A non-parametric analysis is also done for the identifications. At the end of all identifications, a companywide readiness level for the Industry_4.0 has been stated including a breakdown structure down to the user requirements at the shop-floor level. A practical guide is also proposed for further studies.