Mr. Stawowy, what does Industry 4.0 mean for Lapp?
Georg Stawowy: Industry 4.0 is a new business area for us, a new opportunity and a different way of doing business.

And what does that mean?
Stawowy: On the one hand, the topic of consulting and understanding applications must be intensified considerably, and on the other hand, innovation cycles are becoming shorter. Industry 4.0 means that things are developing much faster than before. Just look at what is happening at the protocol and standardization level alone! Since everything is brownfield, our portfolio has to broaden enormously. Ergo, I4.0 is ultimately a new business that ticks differently - in terms of speed and the sales process. We see this as a huge opportunity for us.

And a major challenge! How do you familiarize your team with the topic of I4.0?
Stawowy: That is indeed a major challenge. First and foremost, we provide training and e-learning for our employees. This training activity is extremely extensive - almost half of all employees take part - and is very well received. Ultimately, my maxim is: "Everyone who has customer contact needs to know about Industry 4.0!" Fortunately, the realization among employees that the topic of I4.0 also has something to do with future viability has penetrated far and wide. However, we will of course not be able to leave it at e-learning. Another training concept is aimed at experts; for example, we offer face-to-face training that delves deeper into certain topics. Not every employee will need to know everything about TSN - but we will need people who do. Otherwise, it's like any change process: explain, explain, explain, explain. After all, a lot of consulting is required in the field of data communication!

Sales in Industrial Data Communications - IDC for short - are growing at Lapp by over 20 % every year - what exactly does this involve?
Stawowy: IDC includes all connectors, cables, switches and, in principle, wireless connections - in short, everything that has to do with data transport. Previously, we always talked about automation technology. But I advocated talking more about data communication - after all, we are not and cannot be full-solution automation specialists.

How Industry 4.0-capable is your own production?
Stawowy: In our first two smart factory projects, we are using OPC UA to pull information from the network as a first step. This allows us to see on a cell phone or tablet whether the machines in China and those in France are running. These were the first two factories. The whole topic of Industry 4.0 is ultimately about radically shortening the customer-to-customer process - i.e. from order to delivery. And we have to manage the networking required for this - 'I have to deliver, but what is my production capacity anyway'.

With regard to the development of products, we are also looking at what partners could contribute in the field of data communication. We are faced with a paradox here: on the one hand, it is said that Industry 4.0 means partnerships and alliances, while on the other hand, brand labels are looked at with disdain. We see it differently: in my opinion, no single provider can cover the entire package that a customer needs for data communication. As a manufacturer, you also have to look left and right - and focus on the customer as a whole. As a solution provider, I need to know where I can get exactly what my customer needs - such an approach is not dishonorable, but is part of comprehensive customer orientation. One example: last year we bought a Finnish company that now operates under the name 'Lapp Automaatio'. The business of this company, which specializes in automation technology and data communication in the Scandinavian region, is to buy solutions for customers from all possible sources because they are not a manufacturer themselves. We bought this company in order to ultimately have exactly this kind of access.

There will certainly be alliances and collaborations, particularly in the area of wireless ...
Stawowy: Yes. There have already been projects with various providers. In principle, however, we have no contractual partnerships with wireless companies. The fact that the wireless providers are basically no competition for us - just as we are no competition for them - makes partnerships easier. There is no competition on the manufacturer side: the wireless manufacturers can't do what Lapp does and we can't - yet - do what they do.

We are in contact with companies, but there are no joint ventures or company acquisitions, in my opinion this is not necessary. But the question will of course arise more and more as we delve deeper into the topic of data communication.

You see Lapp as a 'customer expert' or pilot for Industry 4.0 - are training courses also planned for customers in the area of data communication and network setup?
Stawowy: In the past, for example, we have offered webinars, on-site training or tutorials on specific topics. At the SPS in Parma this year, our Italian colleagues had a stand that focused exclusively on customer training, with no products on display. And this is basically the direction we want to go in.

In the meantime, we have built up a network of 'Centers of Excellence': There are training laboratories at universities around the world to introduce cable technology to students of electrical engineering or similar courses. With this network in mind, we want to offer customers training in data communication in the future. In other words, we want to use this infrastructure, but also go into the field of e-learning. As the offer on the market is very poor as far as the physical level is concerned - which bus systems are available, which cables, which connectors - the need for training is huge in my opinion. That's why we'll be stepping up our offering here significantly next year.