Industry 4.0 Maturity of General Contractors: An In-Depth Case Study Analysis

Abstract

Industry 4.0 technologies have business process re-engineering capabilities that can radically improve process performance and increase the effectiveness of communication and collaboration between actors. Despite the significant emphasis on technology adoption, the slow uptake rate can be attributed to ignoring nontechnical aspects, such as systemic change concerning people and processes. There are ample Industry 4.0 maturity models in the literature; however, a common criticism of maturity models lies in their applicability. This paper attempts to address this criticism by presenting two case studies where maturity assessments for general contractors were conducted to understand how ready they were to adopt to Industry 4.0 and what they could do to improve their current readiness. This paper aims to answer the following research questions: (1) Can the Industry 4.0 maturity modelling literature be applied in an organisational context for a construction general contractor? (2) Do construction general contractors relate to such an assessment? To answer the research questions, a comprehensive assessment of the Industry 4.0 maturity of two general contractors was conducted, thereby intending to support their strategic planning and systematise their transformation in Industry 4.0. The richness of the findings lies in the detailed understanding of the organisation’s current Industry 4.0 capabilities and future plans, thereby establishing the applicability of the maturity attributes identified from the literature and confirming whether the managers of a construction organisation can relate to them.