State of Digitalisation in Plastics-Processing SMEs

What the report covers

• The evolution of manufacturing technologies and Industry 4.0 concepts.
• The circular plastics value chain and digital opportunities at each stage.
• Simulation, IIoT, MES/MOM, analytics, digital twins and flexible automation.
• Evidence of impacts on productivity, quality, energy and sustainability.
• Technical, economic and organisational conditions for adoption among SMEs.
• Critical comparison of international, Latin American and Colombian evidence.
• Scientific foundations for a future assessment of digital capabilities in the sector.

Why it matters to a plastics-processing plant

The review identifies a wide range of technologies available for engineering and manufacturing. However, evidence on economic assessment and transferability across machines, products and materials is less consistent. Each project should therefore address a clearly defined industrial need, use reliable measurements and include a method for verifying its results.

Colombia has valuable prior work on energy management in polymer-processing operations. The reviewed literature also points to a need for a sector-wide assessment covering engineering, operations, quality, materials, the knowledge held by plant personnel and circularity. This report is a literature review; its conclusions are not based on an original nationwide survey.