Manufacturing SME’s are not worried about novel technology, but people

Digital transformation of the manufacturing sector is proceeding rapidly and means a drastic change especially to large companies that drive the development. Manufacturing SMEs are also required to invest in modern technologies to keep up with the competition, as they are often members of supply chains led by large companies. We present a snapshot of the current SME digital investments based on the findings of a study carried out recently as part of our H2020 project covering most of Europe. The questions we aim to answer are: what are the areas of operation where digital solutions have been implemented in, what digital applications have been implemented, what have been the initial barriers faced in the adoption of digital solutions, and what kind of risks SMEs have considered regarding their digital investments. The article provides insights for experts working in digital development for the manufacturing sector and focused on SMEs