According to the current study, which builds on a similar survey from last year, 44% of companies in Germany have made no or only limited progress on the topic of Industry 4.0 in the past year. Only just over one in ten companies state that they have already fully implemented Industry 4.0 applications and strategies. For the study, 300 decision-makers from industry in Germany, the USA and Japan were surveyed.

Another finding: 70% of latecomers have neither defined a strategy nor responsibilities. McKinsey partner Dominik Wee, one of the authors of the study, concludes: "We are experiencing a certain disillusionment when it comes to Industry 4.0. Almost all companies have recognized the urgency. But only a few are already deriving productive benefits from Industry 4.0 applications such as big data analysis and 3D printing, or have even adapted their business model to the changes brought about by digitalization". Nevertheless, German industry remains optimistic: 92% of companies state that they see Industry 4.0 as an opportunity and not a threat. Every second company in Germany also expects to increase its competitiveness as a result of Industry 4.0. They expect an average of 10% improvement in costs and 10% growth in turnover.

According to Dominik Wee, "at present, it is often very trivial obstacles that stand in the way of implementing Industry 4.0." These include above all:

• Silo thinking between production, development, IT and finance departments is still widespread in many companies. This makes it difficult to coordinate Industry 4.0 projects across the entire organization.
• Many companies lack the courage to tackle the necessary radical changes.
• Many companies find it difficult to recruit employees with new skills profiles, such as data scientists.
• The implementation of Industry 4.0 applications often requires collaboration with partners, such as software providers. Many companies have concerns about IT security in the partner's network or in transit. They are therefore reluctant to share their data.
• Many organizations find it difficult to justify necessary major investments in IT architecture when the potential revenues from Industry 4.0 are not yet quantifiable.

Computer&AUTOMATION has made the full study available for download in the whitepaper section.