Discussion paper by the Research Council “Erfolgreiche digitale und datengetriebene Geschäftsmodelle für Industrie 4.0“ – How innovative value creation is making mechanical and plant engineering fit for the future

Munich, 13 November 2025

The Research Council Industrie 4.0 presents its new discussion paper “Erfolgreiche digitale und datengetriebene Geschäftsmodelle für Industrie 4.0 mit Fokus auf dem Maschinen- & Anlagenbau”, showcasing five case studies from industry that demonstrate concrete success in monetisation and scaling. Building on these examples, the paper identifies key factors for successful value creation to make digital business models – such as remote operation support, predictive maintenance, or AI-driven data analysis – marketable. The aim is to strengthen Germany´s competitiveness and technological sovereignty by establishing a broader market adoption of data-driven business models in the context of Industrie 4.0.

The paper is primarily addressed to companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector seeking to renew their business models. Through concrete uses cases, it illustrates where leading companies currently stand and the paths they have taken. It is intended to provide orientation to business, science, and politics and to contribute to the transformation of business models across the sector. To this end, it examines the following questions, among others:

• Which digital and data-driven business models have proven successful in terms of value creation?
• What specific successes in monetisation and scaling have been achieved as a result?
• Which further research and development needs remain?

Five practical examples: How can you earn money digitally and data-driven?

The discussion paper analyses five new digital business models in mechanical and plant engineering, using successfully implemented practical examples as a basis. These range from remote operation support, where customers receive temporary operational assistance from a remote operator team, to smart services such as the “Health Index”, which monitors the condition of machine components to enable predictive maintenance. Further examples include B2B platforms bundling services from various providers, as well as AI-supported data analysis tools to help increase productivity.

Achieving success requires a deep understanding of the customer´s needs and making added value and benefits as tangible and measurable as possible. Data-driven Industrie 4.0 solutions enable transparent, fact-based, and therefore comprehensible communication of benefits, allowing customers to make purchasing or usage decisions based on evidence rather than intuition.

New business models often require organisational change, technological developments, as well as cooperation in value-added networks. For small and medium-sized enterprises in particular, participation in Industrie 4.0 ecosystems must be both easily accessible and affordable.

Initially, many data-related issues surrounding connectivity, interoperability, and data sovereignty pose a challenge: Which standards for interfaces and processes are suitable for collaboration? Will companies’ data remain secure and will companies retain sovereignty when exchanging data?

Revenue models such as pay-per-use, where customers pay only for actual usage of Industrie 4.0 solutions rather than purchasing them, also often tend to be complex and require new pricing approaches. Nevertheless, practical examples already show considerable added value without fundamentally changing the business model.

The discussion paper “Erfolgreiche digitale und datengetriebene Geschäftsmodelle für Industrie 4.0 mit Fokus auf dem Maschinen- & Anlagenbau“ is available for free download on the website of the Research Council Industrie 4.0.

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 Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).