Platform Economy - vdma.org

From March 31 to April 4, 2025, the world's leading trade fair for industry will take place under the motto "Shaping the Future with Technology". VDMA Software and Digitalization members will have the opportunity to present themselves there.

Meet the digitization experts at the VDMA Software and Digitization stand to exchange experiences.

Our publications deal with various aspects of digitalization in mechanical engineering companies as well as cybersecurity and information security and serve as recommendations for action.

Platform-based products have long since arrived in mechanical and plant engineering. What has not yet succeeded to the extent hoped for is evident on the revenue side: where are the revenues that cover the expenses incurred?

New whitepaper from VDMA Informatik shows how platforms and services based on them are organized, and how value creation takes place within them in concrete terms.

In contrast to "digitization", the transformation of business processes and the creation of new business models, "Digitization" is about digitally unlocking analog information.

With increasing networking, new approaches are needed in companies. Not just a view of the machines is needed, but a strong view of the entire ecosystem.

The systematic evaluation of customer information and error messages provides impulses for the development of new products and business areas.

How do you get started with this topic? Often, first projects are set up too large and complex and do not lead to a successful conclusion. Therefore, some questions should be answered before starting a project.

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a technology of the future, it has already arrived in the everyday life of many mechanical engineers. Machine learning solutions in particular are being implemented in various fields of application.

The use of AI is considered an important driver of innovation. Many companies are interested in it, but are still at the beginning with their experience. Prof. Claus Oetter, VDMA Software and Digitalization, explains what it takes to establish AI in a company.

More and more companies in mechanical and plant engineering are turning to artificial intelligence. Cooperation partners such as universities, IT service providers or start-ups are playing an increasingly important role.

New network of industrial excellence - AI supports solution-oriented access to automation - Strengthening the competitiveness of SMEs

In today's very fast-paced world, individual departments or entire companies are increasingly under pressure to move. In order to remain competitive accordingly, no company should hide from digitalization.

Cooperation within Europe on digital policy must improve. The industry needs efficient political structures and competent contacts. And it needs a common, interoperable cloud and data infrastructure.

The EU Commission is planning far-reaching obligations for the prevention and reporting of cyber attacks. These will affect almost all medium-sized industrial companies. VDMA is calling for relief for small businesses.

What prerequisites are necessary for the platform economy?

The VDMA recommends various entry points for addressing the topic of the platform economy.

There are two forms of platform economy: digital marketplaces for industrial goods and services and industrial Internet of Things (IoT) platforms.

At the end of 2020, the BMEL published the feasibility study on state digital data platforms for agriculture.

With the target image of Industry 4.0 and digital business models in mind, it is a central task of mechanical and plant engineering to network production interoperably. The challenge here is to achieve interoperability between a wide variety of machines, components and systems.

The application of artificial intelligence in mechanical engineering is the topic of the Industry Podcast. Talking partners are: Dr. Jens Ottnad from TRUMPF Maschinenbau and Johannes Behrends from MVTec Software.

Digitalization and networking are changing the function and life cycle of machines and systems. The availability of machine and component data in the form of a uniform language is the key to productivity advances. Interoperable communication in production is a foundation for this. Machines and plants must be able to exchange data without obstacles. This is the only way intelligent and networked production can function.