The text of the commentary:
Industrie 4.0 is spoken about so often and so readily that one might consider it an exaggerated, temporary fad. Not even close. Industrie 4.0, the merging of manufacturing and services with the Internet, is nothing less than the future of the German economy.
Yes, Germany is in a good position today. Our education system has proved robust and our investments in research and development have reached an internationally competitive level. We can be proud of this effort, however resting on our laurels would be a fatal mistake. Digitisation is accelerating changes in society and the economy. We are witnessing a new industrial revolution. In the same way as smartphones have become a normal part of everyday life within a small number of years, so manufacturing, services and the Internet will soon work hand in hand.
Germany, an advanced industrial nation, must take advantage of the new developments. Furthermore, we must aim to shape the digital revolution. Not alone, but as a key driving force, together with our European and international partners. Shaping means actively influencing the developments and realising our values, concept of society, and our notion of living self-determined lives in a more digital world. At the same time, the focus must stay on the people – as much at networked workstations as when processing data securely.
The federal government is providing long-term support for the development of Industrie 4.0. At an early stage, industry and science agreed on a research strategy that will be implemented in federally funded projects. We have focussed the new High-Tech Strategy on the digitisation of society and the economy in particular.
Now we need to drive forward its implementation. Industrie 4.0 can only succeed if the SME sector is on board. The reliability of information technology and data security still present obstacles for 90 percent of these companies. For this reason, the federal government has consciously focussed the new IT security research programme on Industrie 4.0. Industrie 4.0 will not be possible without secure data communication. We want to enable companies to grasp the benefits of digitisation and minimise risk. The federal government therefore supports the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s “Industrial Data Space” initiative as it is aimed precisely at the needs of German industry. Here, science and industry are working together to create an environment in which small, medium-sized and large enterprises can share data with each other according to individually customised rules. Application-oriented research must be at the forefront of Industrie 4.0. We are supporting new developments and bringing them to factory floors.
Effective implementation will involve the continued effective coordination of all the Industrie 4.0 initiatives in Germany. Business, science, associations and trade unions need to network their efforts with the federal government and expand them in sensible ways. I am glad that we have come to a strong common understanding about how more momentum can be produced for the economy of the future. The federal minister for economic affairs and I will present the new Plattform Industrie 4.0 at the CeBIT expo.
We have a lot of bright, specialist workers and, with the SME sector especially, a strong industrial base in our country. We are in the best position to grasp the opportunities presented by Industrie 4.0 today. Germany is respected internationally for its innovative strength. Let us work towards ensuring German industry gains more recognition and becomes even more effective.
Press release published by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
