Evaluation of Empirically Collected Feedback from a Simulation Game for Digitalised Production

Abstract

Digitalisation causes a fundamental change in industrial production and brings new challenges for which employees in the manufacturing industry must be trained. A simulation game developed by researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA supports this change process, from lean production to digitalisation in production through a game-based qualification. To evaluate how qualified employees are and to what extent they accept digital transformation, a quantitative survey was designed and filled out by the participants after each simulation game workshop. This paper aims to examine the mindset of different focus groups regarding their awareness of ongoing challenges concerning digital transformation. The survey results show that despite challenges due to the changes in production technologies and environments caused by Industry 4.0, the simulation game has generally contributed to a better understanding of the impact of digitalisation and the acceptance of the changes in production caused by the digital transformation.