Assessment of Smart Manufacturing Solutions Based on Extended Value Stream Mapping

Abstract Manufacturing systems are getting more and more digitalized and connected. However, production planners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) struggle to decide, which “Smart Manufacturing Solution” is of value for a given manufacturing system. This paper suggests an extension to the established value stream mapping method (VSM) in order to assess smart manufacturing solutions. Therefore, existing extensions to the VSM are reviewed with a focus on information flows and the integration of necessary key performance indicators. After introducing and discussing the developed method, it is exemplarily applied in the manufacturing system of an SME.