Good practice:

Validated assessment of SMEs using a tailor-made Industry 4.0 maturity matrix in Hungary

Once the awareness of an SME is raised towards the introduction of Industry 4.0 solutions it is essential to have an overview on where the SME currently stands in its digital transformation. Such an overview is a critical starting point so that fitting development path can be offered to the SME that is feasible, affordable and looks remunerative. And it is important to have a precise diagnosis on the SME maturity otherwise the development path will not bring the much-hoped results.
The approach taken in Hungary relies on a multi-factor online self-assessment followed by an on-site assessment carried out by experts to validate results. The factors taken into account include vision and strategy, management, quality, supply chain, maintenance, ICT infrastructure and logistics. The experience of the on-site assessment is that SMEs tend to significantly overestimate their maturity in some factors whereas underestimate it in others. Therefore the expert-driven on-site assessment is crucial for having a clear picture on the true Industry 4.0 maturity of the SME.
The practice is part of a complex project aiming at facilitating the digital transformation of Hungarian SMEs. IFKA Nonprofit Ltd (a state-owned agency) and ICT-H (the No. 1. business association of the digital economy in Hungary) implement the project and this practice. Ministry of Finance is the project sponsor, Ministry of Innovation and Technology is the concerned policy maker. Main target group is manufacturing SMEs

The tool was set up by ~10 experts in 9 months. Running the self-assessment tool needs very limited resources. Each on-site assessment requires 1 expert with relevant experience. Budget of the referred complex project is ~EUR 17 million but that includes a full range of activities beyond this tool.

Since the launch of the tool 150 SMEs have been measured against the maturity matrix. Based on the feedback of SMEs the on-site assessment carried out by independent experts contribute significantly to an unbiased maturity measurement and helps find the right solutions for their digital transformation.

Diversity of applicant SMEs needs a broad pool of Industry 4.0 experts that can carry out a high-quality on-site assessment.

We see plentiful of online I4.0 self-assessment tools all over Europe. Their structure, modules, specific factors are always worth studying for new inspiration. Our experience is that self-assessment tools are easily biased even if the tools are filled in in good faith. So in this practice the online self-assessment is validated by an on-site expert assessment that does change initial results of the self-assessment. The content structure of the self-assessment is the same as the onsite but the examination is deeper with more questions. With this approach it is easier to compare the two assessments. Such an approach is more costly and needs more HR resources than a pure online tool. Nevertheless, it may be worth to invest in such an approach to avoid misleading results and dissatisfied SMEs. In Hungary, SMEs could receive the assessment free of charge following registration and accepting participating in the complex EU co-financed project that this practice is part of.