So far, the development of Industry 4.0 has been characterized by rather timid digitization steps and proprietary solutions that have generally fallen short of expectations. However, according to the authors of the study, the topic of data rooms now offers the potential to decisively advance data-based services in the German equipment industry. To this end, an industry-specific, cross-manufacturer data ecosystem in the style of Catena-X needs to be developed.

The study, which was conducted in the context of the new Manufacturing-X initiative launched by the German Federal Ministry of Economics, classifies digital solutions as critical to the future success of the equipment industry. According to the authors of the study, corresponding investments are necessary because customers will increasingly expect data-based services.

In addition, the use of digital opportunities will play a decisive role in meeting future challenges - such as reducing dependence on a small number of upstream suppliers, making supply chains more resilient and meeting sustainability and circular economy requirements.
"Investments in digital services are the key to the competitiveness of the German equipment industry," emphasizes Dr. Olaf Sauer, automation and digitalization expert at the Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB and one of the authors of the study. "Our study shows how the equipment industry can take a targeted and innovative approach to the digital future."

Industrial data rooms play an important role in the creation of data-based services. They make it possible to join forces in the development of the underlying infrastructure in order to focus more on creating new business applications with real customer benefits. At the same time, data rooms guarantee data sovereignty, i.e. data owners retain control over data and its use.

The study is aimed at decision-makers in the equipment industry as well as stakeholders from science and politics. It can be downloaded here free of charge.