As in the previous two years, the consulting firm Ernst & Young surveyed more than 550 German manufacturing companies for its " Industry 4.0: Status quo and perspectives " study. The findings show that about 45% of companies currently work with Industry 4.0 applications. That is 4% more than one year ago and 6% more than two years ago. 20% of the companies are already planning to use such solutions, while 23% are discussing the possibility.

By far the most important argument in favor (72%) is process optimization thanks to greater flexibility. 59% of the surveyed companies see high investment costs as the biggest obstacle, while 57% cite the shortage of relevant specialists. This is followed by security concerns, at 48%, and the currently still missing standards, at 46%.

A pioneer in the introduction of Industry 4.0 is once again the automotive industry, where 50% of companies are working with such solutions. This is followed by the consumer goods industry (46%), electrical engineering (37%), and mechanical engineering (34%).