Ludwigsburg – Companies with the CIO on the Board of Management show an above-average degree of Industry 4.0 maturity. This is a central finding of the Industry 4.0 Barometer 2020, which has now been published by the management and IT consulting company MHP in cooperation with the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich. Over 200 experts took part in the survey, which was carried out last year for the third time, in particular managers from IT and specialist departments in companies of various branches of industry in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This time the focus was on cloud services and 5G technology.
"Anyone who wants to successfully promote the digital transformation in his own company should above all establish a high degree of digitalization competence in management," says Tom Huber, Associated Partner and Head of Operations Performance & Strategy at MHP. "However, the results also make clear that in many companies, and in particular in DAX (German stock index) corporations, the CIO is not on the Board of Management. This is also shown by the "AX30 Digital Monitor" of the FOM university."
Corona pandemic puts the brake on innovations
In comparison with the previous year, 2020 did indeed show a positive trend both in the use of technology and in IT infrastructures. However, really major progress did not materialize. Dr. Katharina Hölck, project leader of the study and a manager at MHP: "The motto at present is evolution instead of disruption. Companies are driving on sight, and this procedure is being strengthened by the corona epidemic. Innovative objectives such as the development of new business models and the opening up of new markets are playing a subordinate role in comparison with the incremental improvements in value creation."
Especially in the automotive industry, which on account of new drive technologies and mobility concepts is currently already facing the greatest upheaval in its history, the changing course of the pandemic poses a challenge. The Industry 4.0 Barometer illustrates that, in addition to the already demanding daily business and the effects of the corona crisis, there are barely any spare capacities for innovations in the field of Industry 4.0. Thus, 74 per cent of the participants from the automotive industry state that, due to the daily business, there are not sufficient capacities available for Industry 4.0 projects. In other sectors, only 60 per cent share this assessment.
Focus is on technologies, not on all-encompassing strategies
"From the survey, we can see that companies are investing more in digital technologies," says Prof. Johann Kranz, Head of the Chair for Internet Business and Internet Services at the LMU. "But the answers also make clear that Industry 4.0 is thought about too much from the technical perspective and too often only in silos. However, cross-department structures and strategies are decisive for success. Only then is it possible to realize the economic potentials of the data and service layers."
The participants see great potential for the digitalization of industrial production both in cloud services and in 5G technology. Both can form the basis for cross-department structures and strategies. However: The use of these two technologies is for the most part still at the elementary stage – i.e. in the planning and testing phase.
The entire 4.0 Barometer is available on the MHP website: https://www.mhp.com/de/unternehmen/studien/industrie-40-barometer-2020
Further factors for a successful digital transformation can also be found in our white paper "Transforming Top Floor, Accelerating Shop Floor". The white paper is also available on the MHP website and can be downloaded free of charge: https://www.mhp.com/de/unternehmen/studien/white-paper-transforming-top-floor-accelerating-shop-floor
Tom Huber will be glad to provide more information on the Industry 4.0 Barometer or the white paper in a personal discussion. Simply send an e-mail to PublicRelations(at)mhp.com.
