Product configuration activities in SMEs and their digitalization: Preliminary results of a survey study

The presence of customization in manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is widely known, as is the competitive pressure that even they have to deal with. We also know that there are examples of successful applications of product configurators in SMEs, even in quite small ones. However, we do not know the extent of the presence, in SMEs, of the various product configuration activities or the intensity of their digitalization. The present study offers some preliminary results of research aimed at gaining further insights into product configuration activities in SMEs. Specifically, the present study provides preliminary empirical results gathered in a sample of 18 Italian SMEs. It emerges that configuration activities are frequently present in manufacturing SMEs and that there is a high potential for their digitalization.