Techno-ökonomische Analyse digitaler Effizienzsteigerungsmaßnahmen: Fallstudie in einem Tischlereibetrieb

Digital technologies are widely regarded as key levers for increasing efficiency in small and medium-sized enterprises. However, their actual benefits are not self-evident, especially in project-oriented craft businesses. High product and project variety, evolved process structures, limited human resources, and a lack of end-to-end system integration mean that digital tools cannot be assessed solely based on their technological capabilities in practice. What is decisive, rather, is whether they make a meaningful contribution to relieving critical process bottlenecks under real operating conditions. Against this background, the present thesis examines the conditions under which digital efficiency-enhancing measures become effective in a project-oriented carpentry business and how their benefits can be explained techno-economically under real operating conditions. The objective is not to consider digital measures as isolated technical solutions, but to analyze them in relation to specific process constraints, operational interfaces, and organizational boundary conditions. Methodologically, the thesis combines a theoretical framework with a systematic literature review and a case study. Based on the Theory of Constraints, it first examines the points at which digital measures can be particularly effective in information-intensive planning and execution processes. Building on this, relevant research contributions on digital planning, capture, and support processes in interior construction are analyzed and condensed into an analytical framework. In the empirical part, a real company process investigated, in which a primary digital intervention is selected, implemented, and evaluated regarding its process-related and economic effects. The thesis shows that digital efficiency improvement in the SME context is not primarily a matter of maximum technological sophistication. Rather, the decisive factors are compatibility with existing planning and work processes, the quality of the generated data basis, and the ability to systematically reduce media discontinuities, manual data transfers, and downstream rework. In this way, the thesis contributes to a better understanding of digital effectiveness in project-oriented companies and at the same time provides a comprehensible basis for operational investment and implementation decisions.