Industry 4.0: Germany is ready for the next step

After three industrial revolutions in the past, Europe is now on the verge of a fourth, which will irrevocably change the way goods are manufactured and services are offered. The term “Industry 4.0” refers to the computerization of the manufacturing industry. Physical objects will be seamlessly integrated into the information network, they are able to communicate with each other, exchange information and operate each other.

To remain economically successful, it is essential for a company to be part of this trend and to adapt its business model accordingly.

The consultancy Roland Berger has now created an Industry 4.0 Readiness Index to find out which European key industrial countries are prepared for the next industrial revolution.

They looked at two aspects: industrial excellence and value network. While the latter stands for high value added, industry openness, innovation network and internet sophistication, “industrial excellence” comprises production process sophistication, degree of automation, workforce readiness and innovation intensity.

The results formed four major groups: the Frontrunners, the Traditionalists, the Potentials and the Hesitators.

As Hesitators, that lack a reliable industrial base, the researchers identified a mixture of southern and eastern European countries such as Spain, Italy, Poland and Croatia. “Many of them suffer from severe fiscal problems and are therefore not able to make their economies future-proof”, states the study.

The Potentials have a weakening industrial base but according to the researchers just need to “find the right way to tap their potential”. France and the UK, but also Norway and the Netherlands belong to that category.

Traditionalists have a sound industrial base but lack initiatives to take industry to the next era. They can mainly be found in Eastern Europe, for example Hungary or the Czech Republic.

As Frontrunners on the other hand the experts of Roland Berger see countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Sweden, Finland and Austria. They are characterized by “a large industrial base and very modern, forward-looking business conditions and technologies”.

“Industry 4.0 is much more than a buzz word for the IT-markets in Germany and Switzerland”, says Bernd Hoeck, Go-to-Market expert at bloodsugarmagic. “It is a fundamental shift in the way industrial control systems work together. It creates a huge demand for new and better software and hardware products in the area of security and integration. Therefore Industry 4.0 will cause substantial changes in the IT market landscape.”

bloodsugarmagic knows what is needed on the market at the moment and has a long-standing experience in go-to-market services for the German IT market. We gladly help your company to get a foot in the door in Germany.