Necessity of digitization: Corona dispels doubts about it
Anyone who doubted the necessity of digitization until now has probably come to a different conclusion because of Corona. This is shown by a study from Germany, which examined the "proof of concepts" in terms of digitization among medium-sized companies.
The Corona pandemic shows that the level of digitization is still too low in many companies, regardless of their size. Although the need for digitization and thus the compelling need for digital business processes is recognized, the proof of concepts, some of which have long since been created, are still being implemented far too little. This status quo was underlined by the managing director of "SEF Smart Electronic Factory e.V." (www.SmartElectronicFactory.de) Maria Christina Bienek in a presentation at the European Big Data Value Forum "Market uptake: Bringing AI and Data Science to Practice". The SEF Smart Electronic Factory e.V. operates comprehensive research and development environments for Industry 4.0 applications in real factories with its members from business, research and science. All solutions developed in the process aim to bring Industrie 4.0 into practice in an economical and beneficial way - especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Recognizing the need for digitization
A recent study by the Technical University of Central Hesse (THM), a member of the SEF Association, now shows a certain inertia when it comes to digitization. In Germany, the good order situation of the past few years has meant that not enough time and energy has flowed into digitization, especially among medium-sized companies, explains Prof. Dr. Gerrit Sames of the Technical University of Central Hesse in Giessen.
Maria Christina Bienek, Managing Director of SEF Smart Electronic Factory e.V., adds: "Many companies are now sensitized. They know whether the need, but need practical examples of how digitization can work. Appropriate tests and evaluations are very important for them, so that SMEs can quickly move away from theory to needs-based implementation."
Standards required for Industry 4.0 in Germany and Europe
On behalf of the SEF, Maria Christina Bienek presented the status and development of digitization in the German SME sector at the European Big Data Value Forum "Market uptake: Bringing AI and Data Science to Practice". Among other things, she highlighted three key aspects: The importance of tests and examples for market acceptance, the specifics of the manufacturing industry, and the prerequisite of a common European data space for manufacturing (data exchange and interoperability).
"With the establishment of the Industrial Digital Twin Association and the European cooperative Gaia X, two foundations have now been laid to create a transparent, secure and applicable environment for data-driven business ideas. For manufacturing, a common European data space is an important cornerstone for a functioning digital value creation and will have a positive impact on the German and European ecosystem," explains Maria Christina Bienek. She adds, "The challenges for the manufacturing industry are great: globally networked supply chains, climate protection, security ... all of this will massively change the areas of technology, production, logistics, mobility, services and administration. For this, Europe must create digital infrastructures that ensure the digital sovereignty of users, otherwise SMEs will continue to fail to reap the benefits of digitization and seize the opportunities."
THM study underscores: companies should rethink priorities
The aforementioned study by the Technical University of Central Hesse was conducted among medium-sized companies in Germany. 107 companies took part. It looked at the status quo of digitization of business processes and models. "It can be summarized that the physical product is still the focus of business models and few opportunities, such as service offerings, are used for expansion. Of note are the impediments to why so little progress has been made in digitizing business models. The answer is lack of capacity and too few trained employees, which presumably results from prioritization. Day-to-day business currently dominates here. We recommend that the new insights into the need for digitization triggered by the Corona pandemic be put into practice as quickly as possible," explains Prof. Dr. Gerrit Sames. A recommendation that certainly does not only apply to SMEs in Germany...
Source: Smart Electronic Factory e.V.
