Study: German Industry 4.0 Index 2022
Let’s take a little trip back in time.
We’ll begin in 2011. The term “Industry 4.0” is used for the first time at the Hannover Messe.
It becomes a bit more specific at the Hanover Messe 2013. The Industry 4.0 working group presents its final report with the title “Implementation Recommendations for the Future Project Industry 4.0.” It quickly becomes clear that this future is not a far-away vision, but that the digital-industrial revolution will pick up speed fast.
The next year, Staufen AG presents the German Industry 4.0 Index for the first time. German business proves it is self-confident. Although nearly three-quarters of the companies surveyed have not yet focused on the topic Industry 4.0 or they have restricted themselves to the role of an observer, they reclaim the global pole position for Germany on the path to the smart factory.
Now let’s jump to 2022. Despite the push that the pandemic gave to digitalization, according to the current Industry 4.0 Index, there is a dichotomy in German industry between digital pioneers and digital stragglers. Learn all the details in our study.
Michael Feldmeth
Michael has experience of restructuring in the areas of production (manufacturing and assembly), logistics and order fulfillment, practical Shop Floor experience and a sound technical understanding of production processes.
About the Study
Staufen AG has compiled the German Industry 4.0 Index every year since 2014. Thus, the metric is nearly as old as the term Industry 4.0 itself. The 2022 index indicates that the German economy is threatening to split down the middle.
In 2022, the German Industry 4.0 Index was compiled as part of the study “Companies in change.” For this, we surveyed a total of 363 companies in Germany in the fall of 2021, a good two-thirds of whom are from the mechanical and plant engineering industry, the electrical industry, and the automotive sector.
The results
According to the Staufen study “Companies in Transformation,” which is conducted regularly, digitalization – current special effects aside – continues to be the greatest driver for changes in the German economy. That’s why the German Industry 4.0 Index 2022, for which Staufen AG surveyed more than 360 companies, is a very good indication of how the transformation is going in companies here at home.
The current index paints a picture of a divided economy. While around one in two companies is already operationally implementing a smart factory – at least in individual projects – the others are still observing and testing or have not really engaged with the topic at all. Only 7% of companies have already implemented the “future project Industry 4.0” to a greater extent in their plant halls and development departments.
Dr. Lars Reinkemeyer
To avoid a division of German industry into digital pioneers and digital stragglers, the somewhat slower companies have to make a clear plan. For this, they need a defined goal, the achievement of which can be measured – ideally on the basis of process or transaction data.
The main challenge is to question which things are no longer valid and can therefore be dispensed with. Due to limited resources, change in companies is taking place much more slowly than technical solutions are developing.Thomas Urbanczyk, Vice President Production, TADANO FAUN GmbH
Digitalization as a chain reaction
The German Industry 4.0 Index 2022 has a very clear message: From the smart factory, the path leads toward smart products and services. And powerfully so: The Industry 4.0 Index (Smart Business), which has been collected since 2018, has increased significantly over the past three years. Adaptability therefore knows no end, but rather triggers a positive chain reaction.
Michael Feldmeth
Michael has experience of restructuring in the areas of production (manufacturing and assembly), logistics and order fulfillment, practical Shop Floor experience and a sound technical understanding of production processes.
You have questions? Get in touch with us.
I would be very pleased if the ideas and examples named here would mean that your company would become part of the team in order to write the next chapter in the exciting Industry 4.0 journey.
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