Digital Integration for Manufacturing SMEs (Small and Medium Manufacturers)

Background: Small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) are at a critical juncture in today's economy. Digital technology significant promise for growth and efficiency remains an aspiration for the SMEs, even with the best endeavour. However, these businesses encounter substantial challenges that impede their journey towards digital transformation. Incorporating digital technology into supply chain management can significantly enhance key performance indicators (KPIs) and supply chain performance metrics (SCPM), thereby providing a competitive edge. Yet, this path to integration is fraught with obstacles (Mittal et al., 2018, Smith, 2020, Ivanov and Dolgui, 2020). The primary challenge faced by manufacturing SMEs in adapting and implementing digital technologies lies in the absence of a comprehensive, strategic, and architecturally sound approach to digital transformation. Without a clear understanding of their business needs, goals, and capabilities, these SMEs frequently make fragmented investments in digital technologies, leading to data silos and limited integration. Furthermore, this results in a failure to align digital initiatives with overall business objectives. The lack of a holistic digital transformation strategy, coupled with limited resources and organisational capacity of SMEs, results in an inability to effectively leverage digital technologies to drive meaningful improvements in supply chain performance, operational efficiency, and competitiveness. Despite the potential benefits of digital technology, SMEs often struggle with its integration due to constraints such as cost, complexity, and the necessity for skilled personnel. These challenges can hinder their ability to fully exploit digital technologies to enhance their supply chain performance and achieve key performance objectives. Moreover, the lack of systematic selection of KPIs and their mapping with supply chain performance metrics further complicates the integration process. 1.4 Aim and Objectives: The aim of this research project is to provide companies, industry practitioners and researchers facing the current Digital Divide challenges for the manufacturing SMEs, with an innovative and affordable strategy, and a template for implementation. Affordability for SMEs in technology implementation refers to the ability of small and medium-sized enterprises to adopt new technologies without straining their financial resources. It involves assessing the cost relative to the benefits, ensuring the technology fits within budget constraints while still delivering value and competitive advantage to the business. The research would attempt to demonstrate the role of a theme-based technology template, addressing the need for specific collective KPIs and its related Supply Chain Performance Metrics (SCPM), which are to be enhanced using an architectural framework avoiding ad hoc, costly, and often unrewarding implementation. Collective manufacturing KPIs are shared metrics that assess the performance and efficiency of teams or processes within a manufacturing system. This is a research, oriented towards the Digital Journey for Manufacturing SMEs, leveraging the massive industrial experience of the researcher. 1.4.1 Research Question: This study seeks to address the following problem: How Can the integration of digital technology influence key performance indicators (KPIs) and Supply Chain Performance Metrics (SCPM), helping to shape the architectural strategies of SMEs to reduce the Digital Divide? . As my study progresses, I seek to leverage the expertise of a seasoned professional with the following understanding to build a model and review the overall thesis: Key knowledges required: 1. Manufacturing and their KPIs for one or more specific industries 2. Understanding of the Supply Chain processes and performance metrics like SCOR 3. Reasonable understanding of the emerging technology such as Cloud, IoT, data analytics, bit of AI/ML. Any knowledge on shopfloor technology such as PLCs, SCADA, Edge etc. will be an added advantage 4. Research Writing / Technical writing/ Research proposals / Thesis writing/ Dissertation help / Python, Matlab, R programming/ IT and Engg paper writing assistance! and cloud data management 5. All types of writing assistance from - research reports, essays and advanced essays, dissertations. Expert in all referencing styles (APA/ Harvard / MLA/etc.). 6. in the arena of IoT with an intimate understanding of Python programming and cloud data management. 7. Extensive experience with IoT and its applications -8 Proficient in Python development and cloud data management -9Comprehensive understanding of supply chains, specifically in lithium-ion battery manufacturing -10Familiarity with PLC & SCADA, Edge Computing, wireless sensors and gateways -11 Strong research writing skills to aid in the comprehensive explanation of findings 12 Knowledge of MATLAB and Statistical Analysis tools would be an advantage. Key Objectives: - Help to build the model using Manufacturing KPIs, SC performance Metrics, Technology using synthesised data - ideally two industries will be part of the scope (Lithium-Ion manufacturing and Another could be additive or any other. So experience in those industries will be helpful - This will require slicing and dicing the data in many different ways (as part of the research scope), presenting also in excel pivot tables and graphs, some power BI type dashboard and statistical analysis using Matlab/SPSS/ etc. - Help to analyse the results and build a compelling research outcome - Help to build the discussion and conclusion section - Evaluate the feasibility of implementing such models in SMEs - Finally review and proofing etc. of the entire research topic and make it more articulated and presentable as the final version Your contribution could profoundly impact the reduction of the digital divide for Manufacturing SMEs. Your work will not only provide immediate value to this research project, but could also shape the future, with the model of innovative KPIs integrated to SC performance Metrics enhanced by digital technology The candidate must have a research mind and familiar with AI-ML and academia research writing. I am doing a research and hence the need for extra hand