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71 percent of German companies are convinced that the role of managers in the age of Industry 4.0 is more important than ever. Companies see the primary quality of the ideal “Manager 4.0” as that of an outstanding communicator with both subordinates and superiors. The problem: According to the recently compiled first ever “German Industry 4.0 Index”, current managers have a lot of catching up to do in this respect.

Eight out of ten companies in Germany feel abandoned by the political establishment with regard to the future-oriented topic of Industry 4.0. As the first ever compilation of the “German Industry 4.0 Index” also shows, one in ten companies even rate the attitude of politicians towards new key technologies as “counter-productive”. For this study, 140 industrial firms were surveyed for the Staufen management consultancy.

German industry is very confident when it comes to Industry 4.0. As shown by the newly compiled “German Industry 4.0 Index”, domestic companies have put Germany in pole position internationally on the road to developing the “Smart Factory”. Only Japan and the USA are developing at a similar rate, according to German firms. China, in their opinion, is already hot on the heels of several industrial nations. For the “German Industry 4.0 Index”, 140 industrial firms were surveyed for management consultancy Staufen.

The “Year of Innovation 2015” proclaimed by Germany and China is in danger of failing. 62 per cent of German business representatives still lack confidence to undertake future development work with Chinese partners. By way of comparison: Not even one in ten cite such a lack of confidence with respect to partners from the European Union. That was revealed by a study conducted by management consultancy firm Staufen and Chinaforum Bayern e.V. For the “China Poll”, 150 companies in Germany were interviewed.

For the next round of negotiations with their suppliers, German automotive companies have already set the course with their recently announced cost-cutting programmes amounting to billions of euros. The problem: In recent years, many suppliers have already fully exploited the potential for productivity increase in the operational sector. In order to remain competitive in the future, suppliers can no longer avoid a more productive organisation of all processes along the value creation chain.

While World Cup euphoria is likely to drown international criticism of Brazil in the weeks to come, industrial companies in the country itself are not given any respite. Subsidiaries of Western parent companies also feel the pressure: the domestic economy, isolated by politics, is limping, investments in machine parks are delayed, personnel costs are going through the roof. As a consequence, companies’ productivity is on a sharp decline.

Starting on 1 June 2014, Ulrich Hermani lends his support to Staufen AG as a new member of the Advisory Board and Senior Advisor for mechanical and plant engineering. He is a highly competent and experienced representative of this industry: for 20 years, he was successfully at the helm of mechanical and plant engineering in Baden-Württemberg as Managing Director of the VDMA [German Engineering Association].

According to a study by the “brand eins” business magazine, Staufen AG is one of the best consultancies in Germany in the industries and areas that it deals with. For example, Staufen AG with its base in Köngen near Stuttgart was ranked second in the “Mechanical and Plant Engineering” sector. In operations management, Staufen AG was also ranked among the top two.

For more than 60 percent of young Brazilians, opportunities for professional advancement are the most important criterion in their choice of employer. In China, too, almost one in two adults (48 percent) attach greatest importance to lucrative career opportunities. But the situation is quite different in security-focused Germany: Only a quarter named career opportunities as the most important selection criterion in their search for an employer.