Value chain data integrity and quality – a case study

The ultimate objective for most manufacturing companies is to achieve the state of zero‐defect manufacturing (ZDM) simultaneously as being cost‐efficient and competitive. This is not straightforward given the increasing complexity faced by the firm due to handling multifunctionality, personalization, sustainability criteria and connectiveness of products. All these requirements challenge the ZDM principles and the manufacturing system as a whole. Industry 4.0, and the embodied digital and physical world, is predicted to enable product‐ and process control at a new level of modern production. However, the transition phase from as‐is condition to a fully integrated manufacturing system put forward some distinct criteria for data management and data integrity. This paper investigates the Industry 4.0 readiness level according to fundamental data integrity and the trajectory towards ZDM. A case study is conducted to map and evaluate data reliability across a multi‐process production chain and compare to nominal and simulated product‐ and process parameters. The preliminary results show observed gaps between digitally set values versus physically measured ones at a level requiring high degree of autonomy and adaptability in decision routines for the final product to comply to ZDM. We claim that this is the situation for many companies, stating that the case company studied is perceived to be well positioned for the digital era.