Enterprise architectures for the digital transformation in small and medium-sized enterprises

The transformation towards smart connected factories causes enormous changes in mechanical engineering industry starting from the development of cyber-physical production systems up to their application in production. Enterprise architectures already offer suitable methods to support the alignment of the internal IT landscape. New demands like customer involvement, iterative development and increased business orientation arising with these digitized products require new approaches and methods. This paper presents the foundation and the first steps aiming at the development of a method for the holistic planning of the digital transformation in small and medium-sized mechanical engineering enterprises. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.y.