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Just a few short days before the International Motor Show (IAA), the industry continues to get bad press. The arrogance that the entire automobile industry is often criticized for is much too general a judgement, one that many mid-sized suppliers feel is unfair, according to a recent questionnaire sent out by Staufen Consultancy. As per the questionnaire, 75 percent of automobile industry companies believe that their products run a high or even very high risk of being displaced. And every second company actually feels that their entire company is at risk. The automotive industry is therefore significantly more concerned about its future than the mechanical engineering or electronics industry. These are the results of the “Success in Transformation” study carried out by Staufen Consultancy. As a part of the study, more than 650 top management executives of German companies were surveyed, of which 100 were from the automobile industry.

The German Industry 4.0 Index has continued to climb since Staufen Consultancy started collecting data for the index in 2014. This year, it reached a rating of 41 out of 100 possible points, its highest value to date. Almost all companies have recognized that they can no longer avoid digital transformation. Whereas last year, one-third of companies were still in the observation phase, now only one-quarter is making do with analyzing this potential. 48 percent of companies have actually already gone through the ensuing planning and test phase. They are either applying Industry 4.0 to individual projects or implementing it company-wide. Staufen Digital Neonex experts surveyed approximately 400 German companies for the German Industry 4.0 Index 2017.

There is one thing that German companies agree on: adaptability is key when it comes to reacting appropriately to megatrends such as digitalization, individualization and the like. As first indicated by the “Change Readiness Index”, there is, however, a significant difference between companies when it comes to their actual ability to adapt. Because even though the average results of the Change Readiness Index (CRI) were at 58 points out of a possible 100, the individual results ranged anywhere from 18 to 90 CRI points. For its “Change Readiness Index 2107”, Staufen Consulting surveyed more than 650 top executives from German companies.

Work hours, salary and vacation regulations: 36 percent of German companies have already adapted these to Working World 4.0 or are in the process of doing so. Another 19 percent of organizations are already thinking along more concrete terms about how they will deal with the digitization of the working world. However, for almost every second company, the possibilities and rules of the future working world are not even on the agenda. These are the results of the study “Success in Change”. As a part of the study, more than 650 top management executives were surveyed by Staufen Consultancy. The complete study will be presented early July at “BestPractice Day 2017”, Europe’s leading lean management congress.

What the production failures at BMW show: The sector has to focus more on how its supply chains work. Most of the demand is on the system suppliers. Staufen AG’s market analyses show that nothing is done until there is a problem with suppliers at the end of the value chain, and this is usually too late. There is also still a lot of potential to make the entire supply interruption free by reducing complexity. With the electric car market on the upswing, being proactive is becoming increasingly important, since new suppliers with little industry experience have to be integrated.

Nine out of ten managers assume that their company will undergo a high or very high degree of change in the next five to ten years. At least half the managers are expecting far-reaching change within their organization in as little as two years. However, as shown in Staufen’s “Change Readiness Index 2017”, many companies overestimate how well equipped they actually are for this upheaval. As a part of the “Success in Transformation” study, more than 650 top management executives from German companies were surveyed for the results of the index. The complete study will be presented early July at “BestPractice Day 2017”, Europe’s leading lean management congress.

GPS-controlled 40 ton trucks and geometrically visualized buildings have long been commonplace on many German construction sites. However, the actual potential of digitalization and networking is still mostly underutilized in the construction industry. Even if change has been noted among many industry leaders in the past few years with respect to cooperation, a far-reaching cultural shift in the industry is still pending, as shown in a market study conducted by Staufen Consulting.

Automobile manufacturers are currently experimenting with new types of production – they are moving away from the assembly line and towards digitally-networked assembly cells. While this development is proving to be a big challenge for OEMs, the advent of e-mobility is bringing them together under one roof when it comes to grappling with a huge increase in complexity. As shown in a market study carried out by Staufen Consulting, when it comes to powertrain suppliers in particular, these far-reaching changes present both a great opportunity for development as a well as a potential threat to a company’s existence.

This year, Staufen AG has once again been recognized as one of the best workplaces in Germany. For the third time, the Great Place to Work® Institute recognized the consultancy as one of the 100 leading companies in the 50 to 500 employees category. Furthermore, Staufen AG, with more than 260 employees worldwide, was awarded “Best Workplace in Baden-Württemberg”.