Design

Following the success of subscription models such as Netflix or Spotify in the IT and multimedia sector, the implementation of Industry 4.0 is increasingly creating the conditions for offering comparable models in the industrial context. Accordingly, pioneers are offering subscription models for printing machines, compressors or locomotives, for example. Providers do not act alone, but are supported in the design and implementation of the subscription offer by various players such as financiers, insurance companies or digitization service providers. This creates what is known as a subscription ecosystem. This article sheds light on these ecosystems and shows to what extent which players can participate in industrial subscription models. Depending on customer acceptance of these models, a wide variety of companies have the opportunity to benefit from the subscription trend and to tap into new markets and customer groups

The logistics industry is currently being confronted with various challenges, such as the lack of drivers, global disruptions to supply chains and the environmental impact of freight transport. In a comparison between the modes of transport, this speaks for a greater shift in freight transport from road to rail. In this article, the challenges for this shift are examined and it is shown to what extent data models can simplify the transport planning and economic assessment of regional freight tram transports. (Only in German)

The application of blockchain and smart contracts also enables the building and operation of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). While DAOs are already regularly in use in other areas – e. g. the financial sector − there has hardly been any application in an industrial environment, although, digitalisation and the upcoming of the "Internet of Things" have created a fruitful environment. This article looks at possible economic approaches to adaptation and explores potential business models that could result from the establishment of DAOs in Industry 4.0. (Only in German)

Open-source hardware (OSH) is on its way from a grassroots movement to a major social and industrial development. Open product development processes and products promise innovations for new markets and new customers. OSH could be the answer to the question of how the shift to local and sustainable production could look like. To make this possible, essential core questions need to be answered. How can a business model based on openness and exchange make money at all? (Only in German)