Industry 4.0 Analysis of the implementation of Industry 4.0 in a medical technology enterprise with a comparison with automotive enterprises and options for improvement

This thesis focuses on the implementation of Industry 4.0 in medical technical industry (med tech). The aim of the thesis is to get a sufficient evaluation on the Industry 4.0 implementation in a German medical technology enterprise, and also to find suggestions for improving the implementation. Two main research questions are studied in this thesis: “What is the maturity level of Industry 4.0 in a German med tech enterprise with comparison to automotive enterprises?” and “How to overcome barriers and improve the Industry 4.0 level in the med tech enterprise?” The thesis uses qualitative analysis with case study as the main research method. Automotive industry is used as reference and supporting the comparative case study. A historical review and a survey with open and closed questions are used for the data collection and analysis. Compared with automotive enterprises, the med tech enterprise is limited in the aspect of smart factory/production with Industry 4.0 implementation by various special regulations, but nevertheless there is much space and potential to develop Industry 4.0 in other aspects like smart business, smart product, and smart customers, as well as some new business modes