Industry 4.0 fails due to the human factor

Not even one in four companies has training and continuing education programs on the topic of Industry 4.0. HR management thus has a key role to play in implementing the vision of the smart factory.

This is the "Result of the Industry 4.0 Study" by CSC. For this purpose, 500 corporate decision-makers in Germany were surveyed.

"In Industry 4.0, businesses are currently focusing primarily on solving technological challenges"

says Prof. Peter Körner, human resources management expert at CSC.

"However, the consequences of the transformation for work organization are still massively underestimated in practice. From the specific requirements profile for a Skilled Worker 4.0, to new working models for project phases, to the greater involvement of employees in decision-making processes - there are open construction sites in German companies."

In the future, on the way to the Smart Factory, the classic division of labor between "planning specialists" on the one hand and "colleagues with control tasks" on the other will be gradually eliminated.

The reason: The intelligent combination of existing technologies for the networked factory requires overarching processes in which the know-how of employees is bundled and leads to new production processes.

This dissolution of fixed departments and collaboration with unfamiliar colleagues will change the social climate in the workforce. In order not to unnecessarily jeopardize cohesion here, companies should implement HR management at an early stage that professionally accompanies the transition to Industry 4.0.

The leading role of HR management on this path is also justified by the training situation at universities. Academic training that simultaneously teaches engineering and IT skills has not yet become established.

"The problem is not just the well-known shortage of engineers and computer scientists from universities"

says Körner.

"Instead, the companies need specialists who, as engineers, also bring IT knowledge with them, as well as know-how from logistics and manufacturing.

Only these specialists, working closely together on site, will be able to plan and implement the new production engineering processes in a controlled network."

says Körner.