Four years after its first survey, the German Industry 4.0 Index has passed an important milestone. At 52 percent, this year for the first time more than half of all companies have implemented Industry 4.0 either in individual projects or across their company. By comparison, this figure was only 15 percent in 2014. For the 2018 German Industry 4.0 Index, business consultancy Staufen together with experts from Staufen Digital Neonex surveyed around 450 industrial companies in Germany.
At the other end of the scale, there are hardly any companies that are not at least currently preparing for the practical application of Industry 4.0. In 2018 only about one in ten companies have yet to follow this technological trend, which is likely to gain even more momentum in the foreseeable future. “There are still hesitant companies that continue to analyze market and application developments. But there is little doubt that these companies will soon enter a more active phase – if only to catch up with their competitors or their own network,” says Martin Haas, CEO of Staufen AG, confirming his expectations.
In Germany, mechanical engineering, plant construction as well as the electrical industry are particularly experienced in individual projects involving digital processes. By contrast, the automotive sector dominates in terms of consistent operating concepts, where almost one-fifth has already comprehensively implemented Industry 4.0. This can be explained not least by the industry structures. “While mechanical engineers and the electrical industry are heterogeneously networked and often rely on individual manufacturing and adaptations, the automotive industry is characterized by homogeneous products, processes and supply chains that have been tuned over decades. In this environment, the consistent implementation of integrated Industry 4.0 solutions should be much easier to achieve,” states Staufen CEO Haas, explaining the industry differences.
As Industry 4.0 rapidly becomes part of everyday life in the production technology companies use themselves, digital products and applications for their customers, however, are still developing with reluctance. This is shown by the Smart Business Index, which was additionally surveyed for the first time as part of the study. At 35 points, it is still well behind the Smart Factory Index, which rose to 42 points this year. Only 21 percent of companies currently offer products and solutions related to Industry 4.0. Completely new business models based on this can only be found in 5 percent of companies.
“However, many companies are already working on new, additional digital services or completely new products. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that the industry in this country still focuses far too much on internal matters when it comes to digital transformation. Increasing efficiency, reducing costs, making processes transparent – these are all important goals. But those who do not think significantly beyond Industry 4.0 are missing a technological turning point, possibly in the long term,” says Thomas Rohrbach, Manager of Staufen Digital Neonex. The 2018 German Industry 4.0 Index For the 2018 German Industry 4.0 Index, business consultancy Staufen and Staufen Digital Neonex GmbH surveyed around 450 companies in Germany. The survey was conducted in mid-2018. A good two thirds of the companies surveyed come from the mechanical and plant engineering, electrical engineering and automotive industries. The study can be requested from: Kathrin Negele, kathrin.negele@staufen.ag
The 2018 German Industry 4.0 Index
For the 2018 German Industry 4.0 Index, business consultancy Staufen and Staufen Digital Neonex GmbH surveyed around 450 companies in Germany. The survey was conducted in mid-2018. A good two thirds of the companies surveyed come from the mechanical and plant engineering, electrical engineering and automotive industries. The study can be requested from: Kathrin Negele, kathrin.negele@staufen.ag
About Staufen – www.staufen.ag
Inside every company is an even better one. This is the conviction which Staufen has applied in consulting and training companies and employees around the world for over twenty years. Markets are in motion, and competitive pressure is massive. Staufen helps you implement the appropriate changes quickly, increase productivity, improve quality and optimize innovative strength. International Lean management consulting provides the right strategies and methods to create rapid and measurable successes. To leverage the potential that exists in every company, Staufen’s consultants work with managers and employees to achieve a dynamic and sustainable culture of change. The Staufen subsidiary Staufen Digital Neonex assists mid-sized manufacturing companies along their path towards digital transformation. Staufen also offers certified hands-on training programs at its Academy. Staufen has over 280 employees at 13 international offices who serve clients all over the world. In 2018, Staufen won the “brand eins Wissen” award for Best Consultant for the fifth time in a row. According to the highly regarded industry study Hidden Champions 2018, the company was named Germany’s best Lean management consultant, and the economic magazine “Wirtschaftswoche” has awarded it the “Best of Consulting” prize numerous times.
More about Staufen Digital Neonex – www.staufen-neonex.de
Staufen Digital Neonex is a subsidiary of Staufen and consults mid-sized manufacturers on their path towards digital transformation. In addition to offering pragmatic digital strategies for mid-sized enterprises, it addresses topics related to smart factories, data science and digitizing product portfolios and business models. At Staufen Digital Neonex, clients are not left to their own devices to deal with these matters alone. The uncertainty and potential distrust people feel about such processes are minimized by custom-tailored qualification programs. After all, even at a smart factory, Staufen believes that people are what make the difference.
