Proposal of a maturity model for additive manufacturing: theoretical development and case study in automotive industry

Currently, organizations in the manufacturing sector are exposed to high levels of competition and constant changes in consumer requirements. To survive in an increasingly competitive environment, it is essential to adopt new technologies to ensure success in a sector that is currently going through the fourth industrial revolution, associated with Industry 4.0 (I4.0). Additive manufacturing (AM) is one of I4.0’s technologies, which can produce products layer by layer, playing a key role in the innovation of business models. In this manner, organizations must integrate AM starting by understanding their maturity level, which allows them to reflect on weaknesses and strengths as well as opportunities for improvement. However, literature is currently lacking maturity models for AM. This paper proposes a maturity model for AM, which aims to help organizations in the manufacturing sector in determining their maturity level regarding the implementation of the AM. The model developed was validated theoretically. Also, a case study was conducted on an automaker, where it was possible to conclude that, despite the analyzed company has a high level of maturity regarding the technological deployment of AM, an AM’s strategy definition is presently missing.