„Industrie 4.0 Forschung in Kürze“: Levers and key success factors in the organisation for the implementation of Industrie 4.0 in SMEs

Munich, 12 November 2024

The second edition of “Industrie 4.0 Forschung in Kürze” by the Research Council Industrie 4.0 deals with the question of how Industrie 4.0 can also be successfully implemented in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Key success factors can be found within the organisations themselves. It is not necessary to restructure the entire company in order to unlock the numerous potentials of Industrie 4.0. This compact publication highlights the key factors and demonstrates, through case studies, how these potentials can be successfully implemented. 

The fourth industrial revolution is not just about increasing productivity and efficiency. Rather, network value creation networks are emerging that link all areas from supply and production to maintenance, delivery and customer service. Such networks not only enable greater flexibility and resilience, but also promote sustainability in production and open up new business models by combining products with innovative services. This allows companies to unlock new, tailored value creation and revenue models through personalised offerings.

“Digitalisation and automation also allow SMEs to resolve the apparent contradiction between efficiency, flexibility and sustainability in Europe as a high-wage location,” explains Julia Arlinghaus (Director of Fraunhofer Institute of Factory Operation and Automation IFF, University of Magdeburg), member of Research Council Industrie 4.0. ”Nevertheless, considerable time, financial and human resources are required to intensively support and train the people involved in the underlying projects. In addition to selecting suitable use cases – in the sense of beacons that serve as role models – management must also focus on creating the organisational prerequisites and ensuring that projects within the transformation to Industrie 4.0 are provided with sufficient capacity.”

Small and medium-sized companies in particular have the opportunity to optimise individual areas with Industrie 4.0 solutions. For example, order processing and customer contact can be digitised and thus made more efficient without having to restructure the entire company.

Nevertheless, there are some indications that the potential of Industrie 4.0 in SMEs is still far from being fully exploited. Current surveys show that almost two thirds of the companies surveyed in Germany see themselves as laggards when it comes to digitalization. Around half report difficulties in dealing with the digital challenges. Enabler technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are only used by around a third of companies.

The introduction of Industrie 4.0 technologies requires a conscious approach to existing structures and resources that can be activated and used in a targeted manner. They are crucial for the success of Industrie 4.0 projects in SMEs. This issue of “Industrie 4.0 Forschung in Kürze” takes a closer look at how this can be achieved.

The new issue of “Industrie 4.0 Forschung in Kürze” is available for free here on the acatech website.

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Information on the Research Council Industrie 4.0

As a strategic and independent body, the Research Council Industrie 4.0 makes a significant contribution to identifying research-based solutions for the further development and implementation of Industrie 4.0 and thus providing guidance – with the overarching goal of strengthening the German innovation system and value creation. To this end, the Research Council Industrie 4.0 currently brings together 31 representatives from science and industry with their interdisciplinary expertise, formulates new, pre-competitive research impulses and needs, identifies medium to long-term development perspectives and derives options for action for the successful implementation of Industrie 4.0. Research in the field of Industrie 4.0 is increasingly focussing on topics such as sustainability, resilience, interoperability, technological and strategic sovereignty and the central role of people. The work of the Research Council Industrie 4.0 is coordinated by acatech – National Academy of Science and Engineering, supervised by the Project Management Organisation Karlsruhe (PTKA) and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).