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Almost every fourth German industrial company now classifies the probability of its business model being affected by a disruptive attacker within the next two years as “high” or even “very high.” For comparison: Just a year ago, only 16 percent of companies could imagine such a short-term attack. This has been illustrated by the “German Industry 4.0 Index” from business consultancy Staufen. For the study, the experts from Staufen Digital Neonex surveyed around 450 industrial companies in Germany.

Although in times of digital transformation many companies leave no stone standing, one thing remains constant: a lack of thinking outside of the box. And while direct competitors helplessly deal with the same problem as others are experiencing in their own companies, a corresponding solution from other industries unfortunately remains a mystery. The Future Congress “Cross Business Xchange 2019” deliberately brings together top-class experts from a wide variety of industries.

According to the German Industry 4.0 Index, Industry 4.0 and the use of industrial Internet platforms have become a essential aspect for every other company. However, medium-sized companies, in particular, continue to insufficiently exploit the potential of these platforms. It is often dominated by individual solutions and simple technical exercises. For the German Industry 4.0 Index, business consultancy Staufen together with experts from Staufen Digital Neonex surveyed around 450 industrial companies in Germany.

Staufen AG can look back on a successful year in 2018 with sales growth of 16%. Meanwhile, 320 employees work for the consulting company. With its international offices, digital subsidiary Neonex and Staufen Academy, the consultancy offers a wide range of support to customers in industry and many other sectors in times of great change.

Large, orange and sitting behind a protective barrier – Germans’ idea of robots in the realm of work has not changed for years. Because of this, 71 percent of employees still see robots’ field of application, especially in industry, is for dangerous or physically demanding work. However, only 41 percent could imagine robots as service providers or service personnel, while only 14 percent could see them being used in nursing care applications. These are the results of a representative survey of more than 1,000 employees in Germany conducted by business consultancy Staufen.

German industry primarily uses big data for quality management. Approximately seven out of ten companies with Industry 4.0 applications evaluate the data they generate during production in order to monitor the quality of their products. As the 2018 German Industry 4.0 Index from business consultancy Staufen shows, the electrical industry is leading the way. However, companies are far from really fully exploiting the potential of big data. Despite evaluating data, companies’ analyses have so far failed to trace the causes of quality problems, as a joint research project by Staufen and TU Darmstadt has demonstrated.

Not even half of all company or division restructuring is sustainably successful. 71 percent of the board members and managers of medium-sized industrial companies in Germany are convinced of this. One in five top managers even forecasts a success rate of less than 25 percent. These are the results of the “2018 Restructuring” study. Business consultancy Staufen surveyed 244 board members and managing directors of medium-sized industrial companies.

The industry of mechanical and plant engineering is already feeling the uncertainty of its customers caused by the increasing worldwide trade conflicts. For those attending Mechanical Engineering Congress 2018, yet one more reason why this traditional industry should take a serious look at the transitions taking place in corporate and leadership cultures. Close to 100 executives responded to the invitation from the Staufen Management Consultants and Staufen Digital Neonex as well as this year’s host SEW-EURODRIVE, arriving in Bruchsal to discuss the road to the future.

64 percent of German world market leaders have a corporate culture in which executives act as partners and mentors instead of relying on “command & control.” And that pays off economically: Among the top performers, only around one in four companies is still managed in a traditional sense, while the majority of companies with below-average returns maintain a classic position. These are the results of the study “Best Strategy 2018: What German world market leaders do better.” Management consultancy Staufen surveyed a total of 210 German companies, which are among the world market leaders either in their industry or their segment.