INDUSTRY 4.0 in Germany (internship at the ADVANCED MANAGEMENT program)

From May 13th to May 17th, the Russian-German Chamber of Foreign Trade took part in the organization of the INDUSTRY 4.0 business mission to Germany for the participants of the Advanced Management program of RANEPA. Advanced Management is a postgraduate business education program (post-MBA executive education). For a whole week, the finalists of the Leaders of Russia contest studied digital production solutions of German companies.

Germany is the land of engineers and entrepreneurs, such names as Karl Benz, Ferdinand Porsche, Gottlieb Daimler, Robert Bosch, Andreas Stil are known all over the world. It was here that they first started talking about the introduction of new principles of production organization, united under the general term Industry 4.0. The fourth industrial revolution is characterized by the mass introduction of cyber-physical systems into production and other spheres of life. Within the framework of the Industry 4.0 business mission, a discussion broke out about what to put into this concept, and where the line between innovations runs. Jan Gudat from EY described Industry 4.0 as "connecting all production components into a single ecosystem to create added value." The delegation participants agreed that the main problem of implementing Industry 4.0 at the moment is the lack of standard IOT (internet of things) platforms for production processes. When they appear, the market will explode.

During the week, the delegation visited the production facilities of Lechler, Kärcher, WTO, Bosch, Erismann, private enterprises with a history of producing complex technological products and founded by engineers-entrepreneurs.

The WTO plant turned out to be conservative in German, but at the same time very modern production. Almost everything is robotic and eco-friendly. Heat from machine tools and solar energy are used to heat and cool the housings. The company will become CO2-neutral next year. A group of graduates of the Leaders of Russia program also visited the research campus of Bosch, which annually spends 7.3 billion euros on R&D. The participants were able to get acquainted with promising developments in the field of 3D-Printing and Cyber Security.

Wallpaper manufacturers are currently rethinking their strategies, as the area of glazing in residential construction is growing, as well as consumer tastes are changing. The participants of the Industry 4.0 business mission were convinced of this when visiting the oldest German wallpaper production company Erismann und Cie. One of the busiest days of the business mission was a visit to the Smart Factory OWL. It is a laboratory of solutions for Industry 4.0. in the field of process automation, 3D printing, as well as robotization of various operations.

Despite the fact that the main program of the trip was very busy, the participants took the time to get acquainted with the culture and traditions of the German lands: visit the famous baths in Baden-Baden, admired the endless rapeseed fields and the Black Forest, appreciated the sights of Stuttgart.
We thank EY, the Chamber of Commerce of Stuttgart, the Chamber of Commerce of Karlsruhe for their support in organizing a business mission!

Vladimir Nikitenko, Deputy Director of the Representative Office of the German Economy in the Russian Federation

We are glad to have the opportunity to introduce Russian top managers to German production traditions. The Industry 4.0 business mission to the homeland demonstrated that companies are implementing technologies gradually, calculating the efficiency of process automation at each stage. The chances for the development of Russian industry are that it is possible to implement proven industrial solutions without wasting time checking their effectiveness.

Vitaly Baskin, Director of Business Development in China, SPLAT Company, participant of the Advanced Management program

I am not directly connected with production and the topic of Industry 4.0 was unfamiliar to me. Thanks to the trip, I significantly expanded my understanding of Industry 4.0, and preliminary preparation and communication within the group also helped. This is my first trip to Germany. I not only learned more about German business, but also about the culture of the country as a whole. It was very interesting to look at medium-sized enterprises, the so-called "hidden champions", who are world leaders in their niche. I was impressed by the policy of the German authorities to support such companies. It was also interesting to learn about the activities of the German Chamber of Commerce, which is considered one of the most effective in the world.

Marina Shermet, Director of Executive Education, Faculty of International MBA Programs, RANEPA ION, Head of the Advanced Management Program

ADVANCED MANAGEMENT Program (www.advancedmanagement.ru) involves conducting field modules. One of these modules was devoted to the study of Germany's experience in implementing digital production solutions.
According to the results of the internship, it can be noted that the program was carried out at the highest level in terms of content and organization, it was rich and balanced. Each visit was accompanied by an interested discussion with the host party, the participants asked acute questions, jointly sought solutions. Many thanks to the entire ANC Russia team for their professional work!