Challenges in Digital Transformation of Business Processes Towards Creating a Paperless Environment: Case of an Aircraft Manufacturing Firm

The digital transformation of a manufacturing firm needs the transition from legacy paper-based systems into digitalized ones. Such transformation requires technological integration to manage not only the manufacturing operations but also the associated machines, tools, and other support processes. Developing an integrated environment connecting all stakeholders on a common technical platform is a cumbersome task for large manufacturing companies. This paper aims to compile a list of core challenges for adopting and implementing digitalization and generalize the same for aircraft manufacturing firms. Marred by ecological and other challenges, many businesses and organizations adopt digitalized or paperless operations, including manufacturing facilities. This paper presents the challenges an aerospace manufacturing firm faces in transforming its operations from traditional processes into digitalized modes using the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation of Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique with the MMDE (Maximum mean De-Entropy) algorithm. The findings of this study demonstrate the challenges associated with the adoption of paperless processes in manufacturing.