ten years of Industrie 4.0, significant initiatives were started. The GAIA-X project aims at


industry-specific interoperability predominantly by means of standardization [57,58]. For the next decade of Industrie 4.0, Open-Source will play a pivotal role in imple-**Figure 3.** BaSyx–Open-Source Middleware (Own Illustration). **Figure 3.** BaSyx–Open-Source Middleware (Own Illustration).

menting and exploiting interoperability for the creation of new platform-based business models [34,35]. Already at the beginning of the 2020s, Open-Source Software (OSS) Currently, economy-wide motivations for participating in OSS mainly lie in the need to find technical solutions, avoid vendor lock-in—a factor that is also relevant for technological sovereignty—and build knowledge in high-quality coding. At the same time, as OSS builds on voluntary contributors, its cost–benefitratio is a highly promising driver for Currently, economy-wide motivations for participating in OSS mainly lie in the need to find technical solutions, avoid vendor lock-in—a factor that is also relevant for technological sovereignty—and build knowledge in high-quality coding. At the same time, as OSS builds on voluntary contributors, its cost–benefitratio is a highly promising driver for value

> value creation: for every Euro invested, a €12 value creation is achieved [59]. This is a significant lever, especially for SMEs in the industry, given the cost pressures they are

> required. Within companies, Open-Source needs to be integrated as an elementary step in value creation [34]. This begins with the development and the communication of an Open-Source strategy developed by an interdisciplinary team creating acceptance and support in the workforce from scratch onward. It should be embedded in a top-level vision and strategy, which could imply the application of OS to create standards, to boost business

> Once initiated, an Open-Source Program Office (OSPO) should boost implementation. As the central business unit responsible for Open Source (OS) processes, the OSPO is responsible for quality management, checking license compatibilities and Open Source Sofware (OSS) integrity with Intellectual Property, and importantly, also for the qualification of employees regarding OSS [17]. Senior management in this phase needs to ensure the establishment of an OS mindset in the workforce alongside the selection of communi-

> Additionally, the concrete areas of action of OS need to be crosschecked continuously. It is recommended to only develop OS for non-IP-relevant products, processes, or code, which should not be attached to the primary value proposition of a company. If the latter did occur, a company would cannibalize its market position. This indicates the need

> In industrial policy, Open-Source has played an important role. However, European governments have taken a more laissez-faire approach, and today, the EU is on the back foot when it comes to capabilities in this area. Hence, it is recommended also for the public sector to establish OSPOs, to publicly fund R&D projects related to Open-Source more intensively, to support entrepreneurial activities around OSS, and to build a European

> The need for sustainable economizing is more important than ever in view of aggravating global socioeconomic inequality and many tipping points that will be reached in the context of the climate crisis. German industry is the second biggest polluter of

ties and ecosystems fitting to OS properties.

*4.3. Sustainability* 

model strategies, or to gain competencies in core technologies.

for continuous adaptation of and reflection on business models.

ecosystem around OSS, among other recommendations [59].

creation: for every Euro invested, a €12 value creation is achieved [59]. This is a significant lever, especially for SMEs in the industry, given the cost pressures they are facing.

However, to exploit this lever across the breadth of the manufacturing sector, further advancements for OSS from a technological, regulatory, and innovative perspective are required. Within companies, Open-Source needs to be integrated as an elementary step in value creation [34]. This begins with the development and the communication of an Open-Source strategy developed by an interdisciplinary team creating acceptance and support in the workforce from scratch onward. It should be embedded in a top-level vision and strategy, which could imply the application of OS to create standards, to boost business model strategies, or to gain competencies in core technologies.

Once initiated, an Open-Source Program Office (OSPO) should boost implementation. As the central business unit responsible for Open Source (OS) processes, the OSPO is responsible for quality management, checking license compatibilities and Open Source Sofware (OSS) integrity with Intellectual Property, and importantly, also for the qualification of employees regarding OSS [17]. Senior management in this phase needs to ensure the establishment of an OS mindset in the workforce alongside the selection of communities and ecosystems fitting to OS properties.

Additionally, the concrete areas of action of OS need to be crosschecked continuously. It is recommended to only develop OS for non-IP-relevant products, processes, or code, which should not be attached to the primary value proposition of a company. If the latter did occur, a company would cannibalize its market position. This indicates the need for continuous adaptation of and reflection on business models.

In industrial policy, Open-Source has played an important role. However, European governments have taken a more laissez-faire approach, and today, the EU is on the back foot when it comes to capabilities in this area. Hence, it is recommended also for the public sector to establish OSPOs, to publicly fund R&D projects related to Open-Source more intensively, to support entrepreneurial activities around OSS, and to build a European ecosystem around OSS, among other recommendations [59].

#### *4.3. Sustainability*

The need for sustainable economizing is more important than ever in view of aggravating global socioeconomic inequality and many tipping points that will be reached in the context of the climate crisis. German industry is the second biggest polluter of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions beyond the energy sector [60]. Thus, German government has set ambitious goals to reduce the ecological footprint of the industrial sector. Greenhouse gas neutrality should be achieved by 2045 [61].

Industrie 4.0 is pivotal in this regard [62]. The smart factory standalone promises to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency by optimizing resource need and consumption of production [63]. However, rebound effects, such as overproduction and overconsumption caused by a more efficient smart factory, could even increase the ecological footprint of German industry. The same holds for artificial intelligence as a driver for the smart factory and platform-based business models. According to a recent analysis [64], AI contributes positively to 139 of 169 indicators of the 19 UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs)–the central reference point of a holistic comprehension of sustainability– whereas it affects 59 of those 169 indicators negatively at the same time.

Thus, to exploit the positive effects of ICT while mitigating its negative externalities on sustainability, a strategic combination of digitalization and sustainability is required to create win–win–win scenarios for economy, ecology, and society [65] (pp. 64–70); 'Digitainability: [65,66], as a strategic perspective on Industrie 4.0 based on circular economizing and sustainable business models, is the vision in this regard [67].

Building on the approach of an integrated sustainability strategy for AI [65,68], an integrated strategy framework of Industrie 4.0 and sustainability could support companies in becoming future proof for the next decade of Industrie 4.0. Similarly to the integrated sustainability strategy for AI [68] and the adoption guide for SMEs to AI [69], an integrated sustainability strategy for Industrie 4.0 could comprise the five stages of Status & Stakeholder Assessment, Sustainability Target Setting, Impact Check, Adaption of Technological strategy (AI and other ICTs), and Implementation and Continuation [68].

The *Status & Stakeholder Assessment*, as the first step in entrepreneurial transformation towards future-proofing and sustainable economization demands, the evaluation of the current value chain [70], stakeholder analyses, and assessments of the impact of ICTs on a company's sustainability, identifies those critical aspects that require attention in sustainability management.

Derived from this, *Sustainability Target Setting* includes operationalizing a company's sustainability vision in measurable dimensions. These dimensions include the three aspects of economic, ecological, and social sustainability in addition to ESG criteria [68].

This is followed by a concrete *Impact Check* to assess where action is needed in the creation and design of products, services, or processes in the company, and how measures need to be designed so that they contribute to these sustainability targets. The UN SDGs are a productive reference point in this regard.

What follows is the merging of the sustainability strategy with the digitalization strategy of a company in the stage of *Adaption*. Here, companies need to apply ICTs only in those areas where they are really creating benefits based on the current adaption status of ICTs. They need to assess how their products, processes or services can be optimized, or (and) how ne sustainable business models based on AI and other ICTs could be developed.

In the stage of *Implementation and Continuation*, it is important to create a 'digitainabilized' mindset within an industrial company. This includes employee-related measures regarding the use of digital technologies in the company and the permanent integration of the company's individual sustainability goals into the company organization, as well as the propagation of a change-oriented and agile orientation in implementation [68].

Strategically merging sustainability and AI-driven Industrie 4.0 offers potential for companies to create new and resilient value creation networks or to even design sustainable platform-based business models that promise to increase and solidify revenue streams for industrial companies and in affiliated sectors (e.g., agricultural machinery technology; see Figure 4) [62]. Smart Services are important drivers in this regard [71]. *Sci* **2022**, *4*, x FOR PEER REVIEW 12 of 17

**Figure 4.** Smart farming services as an example of 'digitainabilized' platform-based business models (Own Illustration based on Plattform Lernende Systeme [58] (p. 16)). **Figure 4.** Smart farming services as an example of 'digitainabilized' platform-based business models (Own Illustration based on Plattform Lernende Systeme [58] (p. 16)).

If companies become that innovative, this creates market opportunities for German and European industry to position itself as a market leader regarding sustainable services, products, and service-product system offerings on B2B platforms. Such an ecosystem—

paper are mutually dependent and offer symbiotic potential. Therefore, they deserve fu-

Based on an efficient literature review, this review details the status quo regarding the digital transformation of German industry towards Industrie 4.0 ten years after it had been postulated as the new paradigm. On the path towards higher productivity and mass customization, large-scale enterprises proceed faster than small- and middle-sized enterprises, which face competitive pressure and internal barriers towards digitalization to a greater degree. Lack of know-how and strategic courage is problematic in this regard. Industry-wide, the shortage of qualified specialists with both high domain expertise and ICT know-how significantly inhibits the adoption of Industrie 4.0. Coupled with a lack of adequate base technologies for Industrie 4.0 and the lack of data exchange platforms, the creation of platform-based digital business models in industry is especially lagging. In general, it has become evident that academic and practice-oriented research drives and supports the implementation of Industrie 4.0 across all relevant key themes. Its insights

Furthermore, relying on the matrix method of literature review, this contribution identifies three fields of action in the three strategic areas of the next stage of Industrie 4.0. To strengthen *sovereignty* of the industrial sector, resilience needs to be increased by complementing efficient but failure-prone value chains with flexible and robust value creation networks based on a high level of data integration built on Industrie 4.0 technologies. Interoperability is key in this regard, as it allows seamless cooperation within value creation

ture attention in economic implementation and research.

require accelerated application into practice.

**5. Conclusions** 

If companies become that innovative, this creates market opportunities for German and European industry to position itself as a market leader regarding sustainable services, products, and service-product system offerings on B2B platforms. Such an ecosystem given a sufficient level of interoperability—would promise to strengthen the sovereignty of German and European industry. This indicates that the focus areas discussed in this paper are mutually dependent and offer symbiotic potential. Therefore, they deserve future attention in economic implementation and research.

#### **5. Conclusions**

Based on an efficient literature review, this review details the status quo regarding the digital transformation of German industry towards Industrie 4.0 ten years after it had been postulated as the new paradigm. On the path towards higher productivity and mass customization, large-scale enterprises proceed faster than small- and middle-sized enterprises, which face competitive pressure and internal barriers towards digitalization to a greater degree. Lack of know-how and strategic courage is problematic in this regard. Industry-wide, the shortage of qualified specialists with both high domain expertise and ICT know-how significantly inhibits the adoption of Industrie 4.0. Coupled with a lack of adequate base technologies for Industrie 4.0 and the lack of data exchange platforms, the creation of platform-based digital business models in industry is especially lagging. In general, it has become evident that academic and practice-oriented research drives and supports the implementation of Industrie 4.0 across all relevant key themes. Its insights require accelerated application into practice.

Furthermore, relying on the matrix method of literature review, this contribution identifies three fields of action in the three strategic areas of the next stage of Industrie 4.0. To strengthen *sovereignty* of the industrial sector, resilience needs to be increased by complementing efficient but failure-prone value chains with flexible and robust value creation networks based on a high level of data integration built on Industrie 4.0 technologies. Interoperability is key in this regard, as it allows seamless cooperation within value creation networks. Open-Source Software promises to strengthen technical *interoperability* and is a significant lever for value creation and particularly attractive for SME facing cost and time pressure to adapt faster towards Industrie 4.0. Interoperable value creation networks also allow for the creation of sustainable platform-based business models as a core element for the next stage of Industrie 4.0. *Sustainability*—given rising socioeconomic inequalities and the climate crisis, and the corresponding policy incentives for sustainability—already impacts industrial economizing in the 21st century [72]. If it is strategically coupled with digitalization it promises to become a success factor, shaping new business opportunities for German industry; 'Digitainability made in Germany' could couple industrial excellence with digital skills on platforms for the good of the economy, environment, and society [65,66]. An intertwinement of these strategic areas and fields of action leveraging synergetic potentials promises to cure current weaknesses in industry regarding adoption of Industrie 4.0, to overcome the obstacles in the industry sector, and to exploit the potentials of Industrie 4.0 technologies in a productive manner in the next decade of Industrie 4.0.

For the practice-oriented research community, this review details the status quo of adoption and research on R&D from a German perspective based in the strategic objectives set by the federal government. This creates an evidence base for future cross-country comparisons of the status quo of Industrie 4.0. The identified differences between SMEs and large-scale enterprises regarding its adoption are of significance for interdisciplinary research to identify their causes and interrelations. Intensified research efforts are required in this regard. The identified future fields of action in the strategic areas of Industrie 4.0 necessitate further research attention, as they might allow acceleration of the digital transformation of the industrial sector. Here, a holistic perspective comprising the four key themes applied on these development paths is of importance.

The implications of this review are not restricted to research, but are also directed to industrial companies and political stakeholders. The review on the status quo of Indus-

trie 4.0 adoption focusing on the causes of different degrees of maturity serves to inform corporate management about current weaknesses and opportunities to increase competitiveness. All industrial companies must anchor digitalization within core company strategy, comprising the strengthening of the digitalization culture, introducing clear accountability among top-level management, establishing a program for lifelong learning, and taking a long-term perspective in assessing the added value of digitalization measures to company revenues. The German government needs to upgrade the basic infrastructure for Industrie 4.0, especially for Industrial AI; must develop an ICT skills strategy for the industrial sector; and is advised to emphasize the strategic areas of Industrie 4.0 to maintain and increase the competitiveness of German industries. Concurrently, the future fields of action raised by this review could inspire strategic middle-term orientation of industrial companies, as well as providing evidence for political stakeholders for the orientation of future Industrie 4.0 funding programs. In this way, this review extensively supports the accumulation of knowledge for science, application, and politics with regard to the current and future orientation of Industrie 4.0 in Germany.

**Author Contributions:** J.W., A.F. and J.B. have developed all sections of the paper jointly. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Institutional Review Board Statement:** Not applicable.

**Informed Consent Statement:** Not applicable.

**Data Availability Statement:** Not applicable.

**Acknowledgments:** The authors are delighted to thank Joachim Sedlmeir and an anonymous referee for many helpful suggestions on a draft of this entry, and to Victoria Neubert for valuable proof-reading.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

#### **References**


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