“Industry 4.0 design discussion” research topic

Industry 4.0 is a communicative challenge. Not just at the political level, for economic policy, and for customer communication for manufacturing companies, but also for companies’ employee communications. Industry 4.0 is described as the fourth Industrial Revolution; it raises hopes and presents an opportunity for Germany, as a production location, to future-proof its economy. At the same time, Industry 4.0 is understood to refer to the comprehensive networking of production with ICT technologies, the Internet of Things, big-data management, etc. Autonomous objects, mobile communication, or real-time sensors allow for new concepts in modular and decentralized production and open up new possibilities for integration across the entire value-added chain and for all customer requirements. A high number of variants and small batch sizes, right down to single-items, are possible at a low cost. This also brings about societal changes with regard to the world of work, educational requirements, and political frameworks. The willingness of society to seize the opportunities presented by Industry 4.0 depends on the correct and comprehensive communication of the concept. This applies both to communication in the political discourse on digitization and IT infrastructure, and to communication by companies in relation to markets, and in particular with regard to current and potential employees.
For Germany as a business location, a design discussion must be initiated and shaped that will help to reap the benefits offered by Industry 4.0 and take the concerns that exist with regard to the changes in the world of work in particular seriously, and integrate them into the considerations.

In the “Industry 4.0 design discussion” research topic, communication concepts are developed for SMEs, together with analyses of opinions in trade and business media.

Blog: tj-industrie40.de

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