SMEs

In the context of Industry 4.0, learning factories are important places for company-based learning. Studies show that they have continued to develop since their emergence and are no longer limited to vocational and academic education. This leads to the question of how much the concept of the learning factory represents an innovative approach to further training in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This article focuses on three selected learning factories relevant to continuing education that were analyzed using qualitative methods with regard to their concepts and cooperation. The findings are embedded in a theoretical framework that links the scientific discussion on learning locations and educational cooperation. The empirical findings from three learning factories illustrate relevant learning locations for continuing education in SMEs.

More than 99% of German companies are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which therefore represent an important part of industrial supply chains. New regulations are increasing the pressure on companies to create transparency along the supply chain so that the role of SMEs is also coming into focus. However, they are often confronted with limited financial and human resources. Based on a quantitative survey and a literature review, this article deals with the question of what SME-friendly approaches could look like.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has changed profoundly the entrepreneurial environment. In particular, smaller companies have difficulties putting 4.0 paradigms into practice. If one considers that small and medium-sized enterprises form the backbone of the European economy, then it becomes all the more obvious which leverage effect suitable implementation concepts for SMEs can have. The following article therefore presents an evaluation model for the definition and prioritization of Industry 4.0 implementation measures, which is based on the requirements for SMEs.

The advancing digitization leads to new possibilities for the design and digital support of business processes. In particular, non-R&D-intensive, mostly small and medium-sized enterprises, face great challenges in realizing these potentials. In the context of this article, various application scenarios are outlined. A detailed example of a non-R&D-intensive company shows how the procurement can be supported by the analysis and forecasting of relevant data, e.g. process data or the availability and costs of components, as well as the creation of the offer.

Industry 4.0 requires many efforts in terms of standardization. So far, small and medium-sized enterprises have scarcely been regarded in this context. This study presents empirical results from 225 SMEs regarding three contexts of standardization, inside the enterprise, interfaces with other enterprises and outside the enterprise. Differentiated for ten industry sectors, distinct characteristics and strategies for standardization regarding each industry sector are derived.