German technology providers benefited in this context less from low-margin consumer products and more from the large demands of industrial companies, such as those in the mechanical engineering sector. More complex software solutions are required here, which have often involved corresponding services, according to the report “ Datenland Deutschland ”. Overall, however, there is more demand for hardware than for software in mechanical engineering. That situation is set to continue in the view of Deloitte’s consultants: as a “traditional area of German expertise”, it will also account for strong growth in future. It is being supported by developments such as the Internet of Things (IoT). By 2020 Deloitte’s calculations show that there will be as many as 750 million network compatible machines in operation in Germany.

In the meantime, IoT and similar developments appear to have taken hold across the board. This is revealed by an analysis by Hampleton Partners, as reported by it-daily.net . According to this, Industry 4.0 has become an integral part of the technology giants located here. AI technologies with context information, digital threads and digital twin solutions attracted most interest in terms of takeovers and mergers in 2018.