Industrie 4.0 in a Global Context – Strategies for Cooperating with International Partners

Background and aims

Industrie 4.0 denotes the transformation of ‘traditional’ industries by the Internet of Things, Data and Services. The term has been used to encapsulate a paradigm shift in the economy ever since the report of the Industry-Science Research Alliance Working Group was presented to the German Chancellor and the Plattform Industrie 4.0 was launched at the 2013 Hannover Messe. The real-time networking of products, processes and infrastructure is ushering in the fourth industrial revolution where supply, manufacturing, maintenance, delivery and customer service are all connected via the Internet. Rigid value chains are being transformed into highly flexible value networks.

Germany’s innovative and globally successful manufacturing industry, its strengths in the field of business software solutions and its know-how in the relevant key technologies mean that it is well placed to build a leading market and become a leading supplier of innovative Industrie 4.0 solutions. To do so, however, it will need to address the challenge of developing international norms and standards for Industrie 4.0. In order to strengthen Germany’s voice internationally, it will be necessary for businesses and institutions to engage in cooperation on this issue at a national, European and global level.

However, there is still some uncertainty regarding which areas of Industrie 4.0 should form the focus of cooperation on norms and standards between German businesses and international partners in order to deliver synergies and competitive advantages. Moreover, it will be necessary to determine whether the establishment of global standards will also require early-stage cooperation between German businesses and partners from outside of Europe.

Until now, there have not been any studies providing an overview of international cooperation in the context of Industrie 4.0. The proposed study will seek to address this gap by presenting empirical conclusions about the opportunities (e.g. growing the market by promoting interoperability) and challenges (e.g. protection of intellectual property) of international cooperation between businesses and institutions in the fields of R&D and norms and standards. The study focuses on a number of specific countries: expert interviews were conducted in Germany and in the UK, China, Japan, South Korea and the US. It also addresses the organisational dimension, looking at different international standardisation organisations and other relevant bodies and networks. The aim of the study is to provide empirical conclusions on the opportunities and risks of international cooperation in the context of Industrie 4.0.