Methodology for the visualization, analysis and assessment of information processes in manufacturing companies

In addition to the volatility of the market demand and shorter product lifecycles, nowadays manufacturing companies have to deal with another market dimension, namely the digitization in context of Industry 4.0. This also offers a huge potential to handle internal and external constraints, such as globalization, customization and flexibility. In this context, the following paper presents a methodology to visualize and analyze the information processes along a company's internal value chain. This enables the holistic identification and assessment of information processes and offers a basis for target-oriented need for action with a qualitative and quantitative analysis to achieve a sustainable competitiveness. Based on the results of the analysis, selected optimization actions can be applied more effectively. The application of the developed methodology is demonstrated in a use case within a manufacturing company.