A performance evaluation concept for production systems in an SME network

Industrial internet technologies offer new possibilities for information sharing, data integration platforms and communication interfaces in most SME manufacturing networks. To collaborate efficiently and maintain competitiveness, performance level of individual companies’ production system needs to be known and visible within the network. A current lack of harmonized evaluation methods demands to define a performance evaluation approach for production systems in a network. We developed a performance evaluation concept for production systems in an SME’s network that is based on identified key performance indicators and their real-time visualization. A case study demonstrated the relevance and feasibility of the proposed concept, which uses internet of things technologies.