3 questions for Marc Hüske, Head of the VDMA’s Manufacturing-X Forum

Dr.-Ing. Marc Hüske, Head of the VDMA’s Manufacturing-X Forum

Bild: © Hüske
Munich, 12 September 2024

1. The climate crisis is highlighting the need for innovation in the context of environmental sustainability in the creation and use of products and services across the entire life cycle. What specific steps or approaches should be taken in this context through the research and implementation of sustainable Industrie 4.0 solutions?

The current challenges are immense and, in view of the climate crisis, we should take advantage of the technological opportunities that digitalisation and automation offer us in terms of environmental sustainability – supported by the exponentially growing volume of data available to us, which is also a consequence of the EU Data Regulation. New data-based business models will emerge along the entire life cycle of products, from raw material extraction to recycling, which will demonstrably promote the resilience, sustainability and competitiveness of the industry. This will result in greater transparency, efficient resource utilisation and the ability to respond more quickly to disruptions in supply chains. Sustainable process optimisation through cross-process control chains, for example, plays a major role, especially in important areas such as decarbonisation or the circular economy. The implementation of Industrie 4.0 technologies also helps, for example, to reduce material consumption through more precise production methods. Business models based on the provision of services rather than the sale of products can reduce resource consumption and extend the life cycle of products – just think of certain leasing or sharing models. In the area of energy efficiency and emissions reduction, for example, intelligent energy management systems for monitoring and optimising energy consumption in real time also have the effect of minimising energy consumption and maximising the use of renewable energy sources.

2. National and global influences on the economic system have further increased the relevance of Industrie 4.0. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, combined with the scarcity of key resources, have highlighted the vulnerability of existing value chains and networks. At the same time, the technological sovereignty of Germany as a business location appears to be increasingly being lost in international competition in various areas. How can Industrie 4.0 increase the resilience of value creation and the technological and strategic sovereignty of Germany/Europe and what role do interoperable, digital ecosystems play in this?

It is precisely because technological sovereignty is such an important issue in the EU and Germany in order to be able to strategically assert ourselves in international competition, especially against the USA and China, that initiatives such as Industrie 4.0 and the development of a European cloud infrastructure such as GAIA-X and data room initiatives such as Manufacturing-X are needed. Interoperable, digital ecosystems play a key role when it comes to strengthening the resilience of value creation and the sovereignty of our business location through Industrie 4.0. If there are sudden changes in demand and the availability of resources due to a pandemic, war or other external influences, companies are required to be highly flexible. The industrial data space, which provides a trustworthy infrastructure for sharing data, enables companies to adapt their supply chains and production processes flexibly and quickly in a data-driven manner. Value chains thus become more robust and generally less susceptible to interruptions if potential disruptions can be recognised early on and dealt with efficiently through real-time data analysis. Manufacturing-X enables the seamless integration of different industrial systems across company and national borders, which not only promotes collaboration, but also new business models and value creation potential. This is particularly true in the area of key technologies such as AI and IoT. Data sovereignty remains with the company so that each company can reap the full benefits of its own data. Open standards and interoperability ensure that collaboration works, particularly within Europe and with international partners, which reduces dependencies and strengthens Europe’s position in global competition, as well as its technological sovereignty.

3. In the context of Industrie 4.0, the optimal integration and support of people through the appropriate design of work and production processes has been addressed from the outset. How can we ensure that people remain at the centre of this development in the future?

This is a glimpse into a crystal ball, but I am convinced that work and production processes will not develop completely detached from people. There will be cooperation, however it is organised. Augmented reality and virtual reality will certainly play a role when it comes to the interaction between man and machine. Both technologies will help to visualise complex processes and make them easier to understand. It is conceivable, for example, that they could be used in training programmes or for service staff. However, it is essential that employees have the necessary skills to deal with new technologies such as AI, robotics and data analytics. Lifelong learning, curiosity and the willingness to constantly embrace new things are part of the basic requirements. It is the task of managers to constructively support this transformation process.
Production systems, on the other hand, should be designed to be flexible and adaptable so that they can be adapted to ever faster changing market conditions and customer requirements. By analysing data from production processes, workflows can not only be optimised, but it can also be ensured that the individual strengths and weaknesses of employees are taken into account, which is conducive to the interaction between man and machine.