The second application example is called 'Global Facilities': this refers to the networking of production systems across company boundaries, for example with customers and suppliers. If, for example, a customer orders a product change at short notice, the system recognizes which new parts are required for the implementation. This means that the system can independently search the market for the optimal supplier and make suggestions for the order. According to Bitkom, this scenario is apparently not yet very widespread in reality: Only 4% of companies state that they use global facilities. 17% are planning to do so and 30% are discussing it.