The increase was already 20% in the previous year. The overall market for Industry 4.0 is expected to grow by more than 22% to €7.2 billion in 2018. This means that growth is continuing to accelerate despite the high level already reached. This was announced by the digital association Bitkom on April 24, 2017 based on the latest forecasts from PAC. "Industry 4.0 is a real economic driver. The digitalization of industrial production is the growth topic par excellence," said Bitkom Executive Board member Winfried Holz at the presentation of the latest market figures during a press conference at Hannover Messe 2017. "The figures and the full order books of industrial companies show the potential of digitalization in factories." The motto of the world's most important event for Industry 4.0 this year is "Integrated Industry - Creating Value".

Mechanical and plant engineering as the strongest driver

The strongest increase in demand can be seen in mechanical and plant engineering. Sales of Industry 4.0 solutions already amounted to EUR 1.2 billion in 2016 and are expected to increase by 23% to EUR 1.5 billion this year. "In mechanical and plant engineering, companies can access a large amount of data in order to produce more efficiently, such as operating, condition and environmental data. In addition, their own products can be equipped with Industry 4.0 technologies in order to offer new services, for example," said Holz. However, the automotive industry is also a strong driver of Industry 4.0 and recorded the second-highest Industry 4.0 expenditure last year at one billion euros. This year, spending in the automotive sector is forecast to increase by 20% to 1.2 billion euros. "The automotive sector is one of the leaders in Industry 4.0, especially when it comes to production and logistics," said Holz. The new technologies could also be installed in vehicles. This increases road safety and if a vehicle reports in good time what needs to be serviced, repairs can be planned better and spare parts can be provided more quickly. In third place in terms of turnover is the electronics sector, which is investing 817 million euros in Industry 4.0 solutions this year, an increase of 22% compared to the previous year. "With Industry 4.0, the complex production processes in the electronics sector can be monitored and controlled almost in real time," says Holz. This creates greater transparency and reduces storage costs. In addition, the globally distributed production processes for individualized products can be set up and adapted more easily according to the motto "plug and produce". In the metalworking sector, turnover from Industry 4.0 will grow by 17% to €424 million in 2017. The other manufacturing sector is forecast to contribute €1.9 billion to the total market volume of €5.9 billion.

Growth through Industry 4.0 in all segments

If we look at the various Industry 4.0 market segments of software, hardware and IT services, the software sector is benefiting the most from the demand impetus. Software includes operating systems, tools, applications and provider models such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Sales of software in the Industry 4.0 market increased from EUR 787 million in 2015 to EUR 1.2 billion in 2017. A further increase of 24% to EUR 1.5 billion is forecast for 2018. IT services are currently the largest segment. This includes consulting, system integration and the development of individual software solutions. In 2015, turnover of EUR 2.4 billion was generated in this area, rising by 21% to EUR 2.9 billion in 2016. An increase of 22% to 3.6 billion euros is forecast for 2017. By 2018, turnover from IT services is expected to increase by a further 24% to EUR 4.4 billion. Hardware, i.e. sensors, servers, storage, networks and other devices for Industry 4.0, accounts for a much smaller share of the total volume. Its share amounted to 868 million euros in 2015 and is expected to grow to 1.3 billion euros by 2018. "Overall, the importance of Industry 4.0 solutions for value creation and the competitiveness of manufacturing companies will continue to increase," says Holz. "Companies with intelligently networked production and end-to-end digitalized processes will experience above-average growth in the coming years."