Defining the Intelligent Manufacturing Enterprise

Manufacturing enterprises encounter pressure to digitalize and increase their intelligence as their environments demand increased productivity and agility. Based on existing research on intelligent enterprises, manufacturing enterprises, and data technologies, developing the definition of an intelligent manufacturing enterprise is required. Current research lacks historically derived definitions of these dynamic fields, as well as a model of their overlap. An explanatory model is proposed to define the intelligent manufacturing enterprise, its characteristics, and the capabilities needed to become such an enterprise. This model is derived through qualitative and quantitative methods utilizing content analysis. This paper describes the content analysis methodology as well as the derived definition of the intelligent manufacturing enterprise.