Industrie 4 . 0 in a Global Context Strategies for Cooperating with International Partners

The transformation of the economy being brought about by Industrie 4.0 means that, in the future, business processes such as supply, manufacturing, maintenance, delivery and customer service will all be connected via the Internet. The resulting highly flexible value networks will require new forms of cooperation between companies, both nationally and globally. There is still considerable uncertainty regarding the areas in which German businesses should engage in this kind of cooperation – despite the potential synergies and competitive advantages there is also concern about the possible loss of know-how and value-added. This study analyses the opportunities and challenges of international cooperation in the field of Industrie 4.0. It is based on more than 150 interviews and discussions with experts from Germany, China, Japan, South Korea, the UK and the US. The latter five countries are set to become important future suppliers of Industrie 4.0 solutions and are therefore potentially attractive cooperation partners for Germany.