SMEs drive key technologies forward more than corporations

In fact, SMEs not only use these technologies, but do so more frequently than many large companies: 64 percent of small and medium-sized production companies with 100 to 499 employees have already implemented data management technologies, compared to 57 percent of large companies with 1000 employees or more. When it comes to the use of IIoT, SMEs are even further ahead with 58% (37% for corporations). These results underline this: SMEs are thinking ahead and driving innovation in a targeted manner in order to remain competitive in the face of industrial change.

The study on which these figures are based was conductedby AI data cloud company Snowflake in spring 2025. It surveyed 150 decision-makers from manufacturing companies in Germany.

Data-driven advantage

The fact that SMEs are actively driving forward the digital transformation in German industry is particularly evident in the planned investments: More than half of SMEs want to increase their budgets for data management (58 percent), compared to only 40 percent of large companies. More than half of SMEs are planning to increase their IIoT budgets(55%) , compared to just 39% of large corporations.

Does the company use this technology comprehensively and strategically? © Snowflake

SMEs also set a good example when it comes to implementing data management: almost three quarters of SMEsuse data platforms with real-time access (73%), compared to only 59% of large companies. SMEs are also ahead in the integration of external data sources with 79 percent (70 percent for corporations).

Networked and predictive use of IIoT

SMEs and corporations are making similar progress in the area of IIoT: around two thirds of corporations (66%) and SMEs (61%) use IIoT devices that can be seamlessly integrated into existing IT infrastructures. When it comes to real-time monitoring and analysis of manufacturing processes, corporations are slightly ahead of SMEs (72%), where 64% use such systems. However, the apparent gap is put into perspective when you consider how the collected data is actually used: Both SMEs and corporations - around two thirds each - access IIoT datain real time and use itfor operational decisions.

Is the company planning to increase the budget for this technology in the next six to twelve months? © Snowflake

With regard to the consistent implementation of specific use cases, 64% of SMEs have already established an IIoT infrastructure that supports predictive maintenance scenarios to reduce downtime -compared to 61% of large companies. This shows that SMEs are not only networked, but are also usingIIoT in a targeted manner to improve the availability of their systems and operate more efficiently.

"According to our survey,around two thirds of respondents consider SMEs to be more agile than large companies," says Jonah Rosenboom, Country Manager Germany at Snowflake. "Thisassessment is confirmed by their behavior: SMEs prioritize basic technologies, integrate new tools pragmatically and act much more decisively, for example when making budget decisions on data management and IIoT. This is a clear advantage in times of change and uncertainty. Now we need targeted impetus from politicians, technology providers and industry associations - for example through scalablesolutions, suitable funding programs and practical knowledge transfer."

Exception: AI and robotics

While SMEs score highly in terms of data infrastructure, real-time capabilities and IIoT networking, large companies are investing more specifically in AI and robotics: 61% of corporations want to increase their AI budgets , compared to 52% of SMEs. There is also a clear difference when it comes to autonomous robots: 70% oflarge companies are already using autonomous robots to increase efficiency and reduce costs, compared to just 42% of SMEs.

However, AI has long since arrived in industrial companies of all sizes. For example, 33% of SMEs use generative AI and machine learning, compared to 37% of large companies. The higher investments made by corporations are also reflected in their implementation maturity: 65% of corporations already have a clear roadmap for the use of AI (45% of SMEs). In addition, more than half of companies (55%) are already improving quality control in production thanks to AI. AI solutions based on computer vision and anomaly detection are mostly used for this purpose (42% of SMEs).

Methodology

The representative survey was conducted in Germany among 150 IT decision-makers in industrial companies. Sapio Researchconducted the interviews online in March 2025, using an email invitation and an online survey.