New skills are in demand

VDMA-Kienbaum study

Andrea Gillhuber, 04.05.2022, 10:12

New skills are in demand

What new skills does the digital transformation in mechanical and plant engineering require from employees? A joint study by Kienbaum and VDMA gets to the bottom of this question.

VDMA-Kienbaum study "Future skills in mechanical and plant engineering"

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The mechanical and plant engineering industry is characterized by digital change. New technologies are being introduced that are changing existing processes and redefining value chains. Companies must react flexibly to these changes. Interdisciplinary work, agility and a willingness to change play a particularly important role here.

In order to do justice to the industry-relevant skills in the context of digital transformation, the study is based on the value creation process in mechanical and plant engineering.

In the study "Future Skills in Mechanical and Plant Engineering", the VDMA, in collaboration with the Kienbaum Institute@ISM at the International School of Management (ISM), analyzed these changes in more detail. To this end, 148 specialists and managers from the industry were surveyed. The study has now been published.

The results at a glance

In addition to the product life cycle, the study organizers selected suitable competence dimensions for structuring and classifying certain competences.

Of the companies surveyed, 90% are undergoing technological, organizational and/or procedural change processes. However, only 17% of the companies surveyed reported changes to their corporate culture.
Due to the shortage of skilled workers, four out of five companies see themselves confronted with a so-called "skills gap" and state that they will have to build up the required future skills over the next five to ten years.
Those surveyed see the greatest potential for development in interdisciplinary work, agility and a willingness to change
With system engineers, technical product managers and I.4.0 service technicians, the companies name what they consider to be the three most important job profiles.
In order to ensure the necessary skills, around 80% of companies rely on recruiting new specialists with the relevant skills.
Further training is considered to be just as important: 80% of companies also upskill their skilled workers. Retraining (reskilling) is used by 56% of companies for employee qualification.
For the majority of companies, leadership primarily means the development of employees. Virtual leadership and the development of digital strategies and digital business models are other important management tasks

You can download the VDMA-Kienbaum study "Future Skills in Mechanical and Plant Engineering" here:

4.7 MB

Study "Future skills in mechanical and plant engineering"Study "Future skills in mechanical and plant engineering"

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