Industrie 4.0 in a Global Context

The transformation of the economy being brought about by Industrie 4.0 is leading to the emergence of highly flexible value networks. Businesses now need to network their production activities both in-house and with the systems of external partners. This in turn requires new forms of cooperation, both nationally and globally. Common norms and standards enabling interoperability between different systems are equally essential. This acatech STUDY analyses the opportunities and challenges for businesses of international cooperation and the current competition to establish norms and standards. It is based on interviews and discussions with more than 150 experts from Germany, China, Japan, South Korea, the US and the UK. Detailed country profiles describe the background situation and Industrie 4.0 status quo in the focus countries. Finally, the study makes a number of recommendations for German actors regarding cooperation with international partners.