Background. An implication of Industry 4.0 is the rapid change in technology and industries. Automation of industries is increasing due to cost efficiency and safety issues. Hence, industrial digitization and automation currently dominate the corporates´ strategy agenda. Considering the economic and technological benefits of automation it is nevertheless important to understand automation since it is not limited to the use of robots or collaborative robots (physical automation) in industries but also how operators get the information (cognitive automation). Considering two different aspects of automation, physical and cognitive, it is possible to investigate the level of automation in companies to help achieve their strategic goals.

Objectives. This thesis aims to investigate and develop a model on how to measure the current level of automation as a case study at Scania. Additionally, this thesis opts to find a reliable method to measure the automation level at Scania´s assembly plant and measure the current level of automation there.

Methods. In this thesis, a single case study of an assembly plant is utilized. Furthermore, a literature review is conducted to gain a higher understanding of the factors involved in measuring automation for the automotive industry. Semi-structured interviews with experts involved in Scania´s automation strategy are amongst the primary sources of data collection. Additionally, dynamo methodology is conducted to collect observational data from the production site by breaking down the processes into smaller tasks until it reaches the point where the distinction between cognitive and physical automation is clear.

Results. Responses on the level of automation demonstrate a low level of automation at the assembly plant and the need for further knowledge about the cognitive level of automation. For the two production lines chosen in this case study, mainly low level of automation was found.

Conclusions. Dynamo methodology is an adequate measurement tool to be used when quantifying the automation level is important since the steps included are sufficient to gain further understanding of the processes in a complex assembly system. Additionally, the taxonomy can be used to analyze the sub-tasks in detail. However, combining the study with interviews is important to get a general understanding of the level of automation in the focused context.