{"id":93183,"date":"2018-04-15T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-04-15T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/?post_type=article&#038;p=93183"},"modified":"2024-04-16T16:15:53","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T14:15:53","slug":"digitization-of-german-smes-across-industries-why-companies-should-look-closely-at-competencies","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/articles\/digitization-of-german-smes-across-industries-why-companies-should-look-closely-at-competencies\/","title":{"rendered":"Digitization of German SMEs across Industries"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr>\n<div class=\"gito-pub-content-bibliography\">\n<h2>Bibliography <\/h2>\n[1] Destatis: Anteile kleiner und mittlerer Unternehmen an ausgew\u00e4hlten Merkmalen. URL: https:\/\/www.destatis.de\/DE\/ZahlenFakten\/GesamtwirtschaftUmwelt\/UnternehmenHandwerk\/KleineMittlereUnternehmenMittelstand\/Tabellen\/Insgesamt.html. Abrufdatum 05.02.2018.<br \/>\n[2] Siepmann, D.; Graef, N.: Industrie 4.0 \u2013 Grundlagen und Gesamtzusammenhang. In: Roth, A. (Hrsg): Einf\u00fchrung und Umsetzung von Industrie 4.0. Grundlagen, Vorgehensmodell und Use Cases aus der Praxis. Berlin Heidelberg 2016.<br \/>\n[3] Schlund, S.; Pokorni, B.: Industrie 4.0 \u2012 Wo steht die Revolutions der Arbeitsgestaltung? Ulm Stuttgart 2016.<br \/>\n[4] Barth, H.: Digitalisierung im deutschen Mittelstand. 2017.<br \/>\n[5] Mohr, N.; Morawiak, D.; K\u00f6ster, N.; Sa\u00df, B.: Die Digitalisierung des deutschen Mittelstands. 2017.<br \/>\n[6] Mochmann, E.: Quantitative Daten f\u00fcr die Sekund\u00e4ranalyse. In: Baur, N.; Blasius, J. (Hrsg.): Handbuch Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung. Wiesbaden 2014.<br \/>\n[7] IfM Bonn: KMU-Definition des IfM Bonn. URL: https:\/\/www.ifm-bonn.org\/definitionen\/kmu-definition-des-ifm-bonn\/, Abrufdatum 08.11.2017.<br \/>\n[8] Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis): Gliederung der Klassifikation der Wirtschaftszweige. Ausgabe 2008 (WZ 2008). Wiesbaden 2007.<br \/>\n[9] El Sawy, O. A.; Malhotra, A.; Park, Y.; Pavlou, P. A.: Research Commentary \u2012 Seeking the Configurations of Digital Ecodynamics. It Takes Three to Tango. In: Information Systems Research 21 (2010) 4, S. 835\u201348.<br \/>\n[10] Ludwig, T.; Kotthaus, C.; Stein, M.; Durt, H.; Kurz, C.; Wenz, J.; Doublet, T.; Becker, M.; Pipek, V.; Wulf, V.: Arbeiten im Mittelstand 4.0\u2013KMU im Spannungsfeld des digitalen Wandels. In: HMD Praxis der Wirtschaftsinformatik 53 (2016) 1, S. 71-86.<br \/>\n[11] Staudt, E.: Kompetenz und Innovation. In: Clermont, A.; Schmeisser, W.; Krimphove, D. (Hrsg): Personalf\u00fchrung und Organisation 2015.<br \/>\n[12] Probst, G.; Raub, S.; Romhardt, K.: Wissen managen. Wie Unternehmen ihre wertvollste Ressource optimal nutzen, 7. Aufl. . Wiesbaden 2013.<br \/>\n[13] Pawlowsky, P.; Gerlach, L.; Hauptmann, S.; Puggel, A.: Wissen als Wettbewerbsvorteil in kleinen und mittelst\u00e4ndischen Unternehmen \u2013 Empirische Typologisierungen auf Grundlage einer bundesweiten Befragung. In: FOKUS prints 09 (2006).<br \/>\n[14] Bland, J. M.; Altman, D. G.: Statistics notes. Cronbach\u2018s alpha. In: BMJ 314 (1997) 7080, S. 572.<br \/>\n[15] Tropf, T. M.; Miosga, J.: Der Handel digitalisiert sich nur langsam. URL: https:\/\/www.bitkom.org\/Presse\/Presseinformation\/Der-Handel-digitalisiert-sich-nur-langsam.html, Abrufdatum 08.11.2017.<br \/>\n[16] Kersten, W.; Seiter, M.; von See, B.; Hackius, N.; Maurer, T.: Trends und Strategien in Logistik und Supply Chain Management. Chancen der digitalen Transformation. Bremen 2017.<br \/>\n[17] Bauernhansl, T.; Emmrich, V.: Gesch\u00e4ftsmodellinnovation durch Industrie 4.0. Chancen und Risiken f\u00fcr den Maschinen- und Anlagenbau. M\u00fcnchen 2015.<br \/>\n[18] Staudt, E.; Kriegsmann, B.: Technische Entwicklung und Innovation. In: Kahsnitz, D.; Ropohl, G.; Schmid, A. (Hrsg): Handbuch zur Arbeitslehre. M\u00fcnchen 1997.<br \/>\n[19] Ropohl, G.: Allgemeine Technologie. Eine Systemtheorie der Technik Karlsruhe 2009.<br \/>\n[20] von See, B.; Kersten, W.: Digitale Transformation des Arbeitsumfelds. Identifikation und Analyse von Handlungsfeldern in Unternehmen am Beispiel der Logistik. In: Gronau, N. (Hrsg): Industrial Internet of Things in der Arbeits- und Betriebsorganisation. Berlin 2017.<br \/>\n[21] Reker, J.; B\u00f6hm, K.: Digitalisierung im Mittelstand. 2013.<br \/>\n[22] https:\/\/www.kompetenzzentrum-hamburg.digital\/.<br \/>\n[23] Delfmann, W.; Hompel, M. ten; Kersten, W.; Schmidt, T.; St\u00f6lzle, W.: Logistik als Wissenschaft in Zeiten der vierten industriellen Revolution. Positionspapier des Wissenschatlichen Beirats der Bundesvereinigung Logistik (BVL). Bremen 2017.<\/div>\n<div id=\"download-section\" class=\"gito-pub-download-section\" style=\"text-align:center;margin:20px;\">\n<h2>Your downloads<\/h2>\n<p><button style=\"font-size:14px;margin-right:15px;\" class=\"button gito-pub-cpt-download-button\" data-postid=\"93183\" data-userid =\"0\" data-filename=\"schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2.pdf\"><span style=\"margin-top:5px !important;\" class=\"dashicons dashicons-download\"><\/span>&nbsp;&nbsp;PDF<\/button><\/div>\n<br>Potentials: <span class=\"gito-pub-tag-element\"><a href=\"\/potentials\/leadership\/\">Leadership<\/a><\/span> <div class=\"gito-pub-tags-social-share\" style=\"display:flex;justify-content:space-between;\"><div>Tags: <span class=\"gito-pub-tag-element\"><a href=\"\/tag\/competence\/\">competence<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"gito-pub-tag-element\"><a href=\"\/tag\/digitalisierung-en\/\">Digitalisierung<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"gito-pub-tag-element\"><a href=\"\/tag\/digitalisierung\/\">Digitalisierung<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"gito-pub-tag-element\"><a href=\"\/tag\/digitalization\/\">digitalization<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"gito-pub-tag-element\"><a href=\"\/tag\/leadership\/\">Leadership<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"gito-pub-tag-element\"><a href=\"\/tag\/organization\/\">organization<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"gito-pub-tag-element\"><a href=\"\/tag\/qualification\/\">qualification<\/a><\/span> <\/div><div><div class=\"social-icons share-icons share-row relative\" ><a href=\"whatsapp:\/\/send?text=Digitization%20of%20German%20SMEs%20across%20Industries - https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/articles\/digitization-of-german-smes-across-industries-why-companies-should-look-closely-at-competencies\/\" data-action=\"share\/whatsapp\/share\" class=\"icon button circle is-outline tooltip whatsapp show-for-medium\" title=\"Share on WhatsApp\" aria-label=\"Share on WhatsApp\"><i class=\"icon-whatsapp\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/articles\/digitization-of-german-smes-across-industries-why-companies-should-look-closely-at-competencies\/\" data-label=\"Facebook\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href,this.title,'width=500,height=500,top=300px,left=300px'); 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return false;\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon button circle is-outline tooltip linkedin\" title=\"Share on LinkedIn\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><i class=\"icon-linkedin\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><hr style=\"margin-top:0px;\">\n<h2 class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-headline\">You might also be interested in<\/h2>\n<!-- GITO_PUB_POST start flex-container -->\n<div class=\"gito-pub-flex-container\">\n   <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card gito-pub-flex-item gito-pub-flex-item-1\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/articles\/serious-games-as-a-training-tool\/\">\n         <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-row\">         <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column-image\">\n            <picture>\n               <source media=\"(max-width:640px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Lange_AdobeStock_734724963_alexkich-640x325.webp\">\n               <source media=\"(min-width:641px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Lange_AdobeStock_734724963_alexkich-196x180.webp\">\n               <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-image\" src=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Lange_AdobeStock_734724963_alexkich-196x180.webp\" alt=\"Serious Games as a Training Tool\">\n            <\/picture>\n         <\/div>\n            <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column\">               <div class=\"ellipsis\" style=\"height:166px !important;overflow:hidden;\" title=\"Serious Games as a Training Tool\">                  <table class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-header\">\n            \t     <tr>\n                        <td>                  \t\t   <h4 class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-title\" style=\"line-height:1.2em;\">Serious Games as a Training Tool<\/h4>\n                        <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-subtitle\">Game mechanics design to promote resilience<\/div>                        <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-author\"><a href=\"\/authors\/annika-lange\/\">Annika Lange<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4514-9306\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ORCID eintrag \u00f6ffnen.\" rel=\"noopener\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/assets\/vectors\/orcid.logo.icon.svg\" alt=\"ORCID Icon\" style=\"width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:middle;\"><\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/thomas-knothe\/\">Thomas Knothe<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3055-7155\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ORCID eintrag \u00f6ffnen.\" rel=\"noopener\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/assets\/vectors\/orcid.logo.icon.svg\" alt=\"ORCID Icon\" style=\"width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:middle;\"><\/a><\/div>\n                        <\/td>\n                     <\/tr>\n                  <\/table>\n                  <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-text\">\n                     <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-abo-sign gito-pub-login-register-link\" data-targetabo=\"expert\" data-targeturl=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/articles\/serious-games-as-a-training-tool\/\" title=\"please login or register - content can only be read in its entirety with a subscription  expert\">\n\t\t\t                         <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/gito-publisher\/img\/i4s-login.png\">\n\t\t\t                      <\/div>Unforeseen events are increasingly challenging manufacturing companies. Being resilient during crises is becoming a key competence. Serious games (SG) can help make resilience-building processes more transparent. This article derives specific requirements for SG from different phases of resilience and shows how these can be implemented in game mechanics in order to effectively support the training of resilience.                  <\/div>\n               <\/div>\n               <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-scientific\"><strong>Industry 4.0 Science<\/strong> | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 2 | Pages 98-104<\/div>            <\/div>\n         <\/div>\n      <\/a>\n   <\/div>\n   <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card gito-pub-flex-item gito-pub-flex-item-1\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/articles\/from-brownfield-to-industry-4-0\/\">\n         <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-row\">         <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column-image\">\n            <picture>\n               <source media=\"(max-width:640px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/voelker-640x325.jpg\">\n               <source media=\"(min-width:641px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/voelker-196x180.jpg\">\n               <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-image\" src=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/voelker-196x180.jpg\" alt=\"From Brownfield to Industry 4.0\">\n            <\/picture>\n         <\/div>\n            <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column\">               <div class=\"ellipsis\" style=\"height:166px !important;overflow:hidden;\" title=\"From Brownfield to Industry 4.0\">                  <table class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-header\">\n            \t     <tr>\n                        <td>                  \t\t   <h4 class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-title\" style=\"line-height:1.2em;\">From Brownfield to Industry 4.0<\/h4>\n                        <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-subtitle\">Learning factories as training and testing environment for digital transformation<\/div>                        <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-author\"><a href=\"\/authors\/jakob-weber\/\">Jakob Weber<\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/sven-voelker\/\">Sven V\u00f6lker<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-9707-1478\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ORCID eintrag \u00f6ffnen.\" rel=\"noopener\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/assets\/vectors\/orcid.logo.icon.svg\" alt=\"ORCID Icon\" style=\"width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:middle;\"><\/a><\/div>\n                        <\/td>\n                     <\/tr>\n                  <\/table>\n                  <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-text\">\n                     <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-abo-sign gito-pub-login-register-link\" data-targetabo=\"expert\" data-targeturl=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/articles\/from-brownfield-to-industry-4-0\/\" title=\"please login or register - content can only be read in its entirety with a subscription  expert\">\n\t\t\t                         <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/gito-publisher\/img\/i4s-login.png\">\n\t\t\t                      <\/div>To succeed in their digital transformation, manufacturing companies need engineers with in-depth knowledge of key technologies and concepts, and a profound understanding of the transition from Industry 3.0 to Industry 4.0. This article describes the concept of a learning factory that is continuously subjected to a digital transformation, thereby creating an environment for the development of transformation competencies. The concept of digital transformation is based on digital worker assistance systems and multi-agent systems for production control. These enable the incremental integration of existing resources into the digitalized factory. The learning factory is not presented to students as a completed solution. Instead, it is continuously developed further as part of student projects. This way, it contributes directly to the qualification of personnel for the implementation of Industry 4.0.                  <\/div>\n               <\/div>\n               <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-scientific\"><strong>Industry 4.0 Science<\/strong> | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 2 | Pages 88-96<\/div>            <\/div>\n         <\/div>\n      <\/a>\n   <\/div>\n   <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card gito-pub-flex-item gito-pub-flex-item-1\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/articles\/ai-colleagues\/\">\n         <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-row\">         <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column-image\">\n            <picture>\n               <source media=\"(max-width:640px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Franken_titel-640x325.jpg\">\n               <source media=\"(min-width:641px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Franken_titel-196x180.jpg\">\n               <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-image\" src=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Franken_titel-196x180.jpg\" alt=\"AI Colleagues?\">\n            <\/picture>\n         <\/div>\n            <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column\">               <div class=\"ellipsis\" style=\"height:166px !important;overflow:hidden;\" title=\"AI Colleagues?\">                  <table class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-header\">\n            \t     <tr>\n                        <td>                  \t\t   <h4 class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-title\" style=\"line-height:1.2em;\">AI Colleagues?<\/h4>\n                        <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-subtitle\">Competence requirements and training for AI use in industry<\/div>                        <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-author\"><a href=\"\/authors\/swetlana-franken-en\/\">Swetlana Franken<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9991-3015\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ORCID eintrag \u00f6ffnen.\" rel=\"noopener\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/assets\/vectors\/orcid.logo.icon.svg\" alt=\"ORCID Icon\" style=\"width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:middle;\"><\/a><\/div>\n                        <\/td>\n                     <\/tr>\n                  <\/table>\n                  <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-text\">\n                     <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-abo-sign gito-pub-login-register-link\" data-targetabo=\"expert\" data-targeturl=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/articles\/ai-colleagues\/\" title=\"please login or register - content can only be read in its entirety with a subscription  expert\">\n\t\t\t                         <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/gito-publisher\/img\/i4s-login.png\">\n\t\t\t                      <\/div>Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing tasks, roles, and skills in (industrial) companies. Increasingly, it acts as a colleague, preparing decisions, supporting processes, and interacting with people. This article highlights key competence requirements for AI use in industry, presents an integrated competence model, and outlines practical strategies for the transfer of skills. The aim is to prepare companies and employees for humane, competence-oriented AI implementation that combines technological efficiency with human creativity and judgment.                  <\/div>\n               <\/div>\n               <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-scientific\"><strong>Industry 4.0 Science<\/strong> | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 2 | Pages 78-86<\/div>            <\/div>\n         <\/div>\n      <\/a>\n   <\/div>\n   <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card gito-pub-flex-item gito-pub-flex-item-1\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/articles\/tachaid-ethical-ai\/\">\n         <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-row\">         <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column-image\">\n            <picture>\n               <source media=\"(max-width:640px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rath_AdobeStock_629687249_everythingpossible-640x325.jpg\">\n               <source media=\"(min-width:641px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rath_AdobeStock_629687249_everythingpossible-196x180.jpg\">\n               <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-image\" src=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rath_AdobeStock_629687249_everythingpossible-196x180.jpg\" alt=\"Operationalizing Ethical AI with tachAId\">\n            <\/picture>\n         <\/div>\n            <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column\">               <div class=\"ellipsis\" style=\"height:166px !important;overflow:hidden;\" title=\"Operationalizing Ethical AI with tachAId\">                  <table class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-header\">\n            \t     <tr>\n                        <td>                  \t\t   <h4 class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-title\" style=\"line-height:1.2em;\">Operationalizing Ethical AI with tachAId<\/h4>\n                        <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-subtitle\">Validating an interactive advisory tool in two manufacturing use cases<\/div>                        <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-author\"><a href=\"\/authors\/pavlos-rath-manakidis\/\">Pavlos Rath-Manakidis<\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/henry-huick\/\">Henry Huick<\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/bjoern-kraemer\/\">Bj\u00f6rn Kr\u00e4mer<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-4659-012X\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ORCID eintrag \u00f6ffnen.\" rel=\"noopener\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/assets\/vectors\/orcid.logo.icon.svg\" alt=\"ORCID Icon\" style=\"width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:middle;\"><\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/laurenz-wiskott\/\">Laurenz Wiskott<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6237-740X\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ORCID eintrag \u00f6ffnen.\" rel=\"noopener\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/assets\/vectors\/orcid.logo.icon.svg\" alt=\"ORCID Icon\" style=\"width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:middle;\"><\/a><\/div>\n                        <\/td>\n                     <\/tr>\n                  <\/table>\n                  <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-text\">\n                     Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into workplace processes promises significant efficiency gains, yet organizations face numerous ethical challenges that stakeholders are often initially unaware of\u2014from opacity in decision-making to algorithmic bias and premature automation risks. This paper presents the design and validation of tachAId, an interactive advisory tool aimed at embedding human-centered ethical considerations into the development of AI solutions. It reports on a validation study conducted across two distinct industrial AI applications with varying AI maturity. tachAId successfully directs attention to critical ethical considerations across the AI solution lifecycle that might be overlooked in technically-focused development. However, the findings also reveal a central tension: while effective in raising awareness, the tool\u2019s non-linear design creates significant usability challenges, indicating a user preference for more structured, linear guidance, especially ...                  <\/div>\n               <\/div>\n               <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-scientific\"><strong>Industry 4.0 Science<\/strong> | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 1 | Pages 50-59 | DOI <a style=\"font-weight:bold !important;\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.30844\/I4SE.26.1.48\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">10.30844\/I4SE.26.1.48<\/a><\/div>            <\/div>\n         <\/div>\n      <\/a>\n   <\/div>\n   <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card gito-pub-flex-item gito-pub-flex-item-1\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/articles\/ai-industrial-quality-control\/\">\n         <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-row\">         <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column-image\">\n            <picture>\n               <source media=\"(max-width:640px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Uenal_AdobeStock_1653851064_Stock-640x325.webp\">\n               <source media=\"(min-width:641px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Uenal_AdobeStock_1653851064_Stock-196x180.webp\">\n               <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-image\" src=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Uenal_AdobeStock_1653851064_Stock-196x180.webp\" alt=\"AI Implementation in Industrial Quality Control\">\n            <\/picture>\n         <\/div>\n            <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column\">               <div class=\"ellipsis\" style=\"height:166px !important;overflow:hidden;\" title=\"AI Implementation in Industrial Quality Control\">                  <table class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-header\">\n            \t     <tr>\n                        <td>                  \t\t   <h4 class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-title\" style=\"line-height:1.2em;\">AI Implementation in Industrial Quality Control<\/h4>\n                        <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-subtitle\">A design science approach bridging technical and human factors<\/div>                        <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-author\"><a href=\"\/authors\/erdi-unal\/\">Erdi \u00dcnal<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-2809-030X\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ORCID eintrag \u00f6ffnen.\" rel=\"noopener\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/assets\/vectors\/orcid.logo.icon.svg\" alt=\"ORCID Icon\" style=\"width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:middle;\"><\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/kathrin-nauth\/\">Kathrin Nauth<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-3457-102X\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ORCID eintrag \u00f6ffnen.\" rel=\"noopener\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/assets\/vectors\/orcid.logo.icon.svg\" alt=\"ORCID Icon\" style=\"width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:middle;\"><\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/pavlos-rath-manakidis\/\">Pavlos Rath-Manakidis<\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/jens-poeppelbuss\/\">Jens P\u00f6ppelbu\u00df<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4960-7818\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ORCID eintrag \u00f6ffnen.\" rel=\"noopener\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/assets\/vectors\/orcid.logo.icon.svg\" alt=\"ORCID Icon\" style=\"width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:middle;\"><\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/felix-hoenig\/\">Felix Hoenig<\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/christian-meske\/\">Christian Meske<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5637-9433\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ORCID eintrag \u00f6ffnen.\" rel=\"noopener\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/assets\/vectors\/orcid.logo.icon.svg\" alt=\"ORCID Icon\" style=\"width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:middle;\"><\/a><\/div>\n                        <\/td>\n                     <\/tr>\n                  <\/table>\n                  <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-text\">\n                     Artificial intelligence (AI) offers significant potential to enhance industrial quality control, yet successful implementation requires careful consideration of ethical and human factors. This article examines how automated surface inspection systems can be deployed to augment human capabilities while ensuring ethical integration into workflows. Through design science research, twelve stakeholders from six organizations across three continents are interviewed and twelve sociotechnical design requirements are derived. These are organized into pre-implementation and implementation\/operation phases, addressing human agency, employee participation, and responsible knowledge management. Key findings include the critical importance of meaningful employee participation during pre-implementation, and maintaining human agency through experiential learning, building on existing expertise. This research contributes to ethical AI workplace implementation by providing guidelines that preserve human ...                  <\/div>\n               <\/div>\n               <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-scientific\"><strong>Industry 4.0 Science<\/strong> | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 1 | Pages 120-127 | DOI <a style=\"font-weight:bold !important;\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.30844\/I4SE.26.1.112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">10.30844\/I4SE.26.1.112<\/a><\/div>            <\/div>\n         <\/div>\n      <\/a>\n   <\/div>\n   <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card gito-pub-flex-item gito-pub-flex-item-1\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/articles\/ai-assembly-workplace-design\/\">\n         <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-row\">         <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column-image\">\n            <picture>\n               <source media=\"(max-width:640px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Tuli_AdobeStock_1665432467_Grispb-640x325.webp\">\n               <source media=\"(min-width:641px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Tuli_AdobeStock_1665432467_Grispb-196x180.webp\">\n               <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-image\" src=\"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Tuli_AdobeStock_1665432467_Grispb-196x180.webp\" alt=\"Applied AI for Human-Centric Assembly Workplace Design\">\n            <\/picture>\n         <\/div>\n            <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-column\">               <div class=\"ellipsis\" style=\"height:166px !important;overflow:hidden;\" title=\"Applied AI for Human-Centric Assembly Workplace Design\">                  <table class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-header\">\n            \t     <tr>\n                        <td>                  \t\t   <h4 class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-title\" style=\"line-height:1.2em;\">Applied AI for Human-Centric Assembly Workplace Design<\/h4>\n                        <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-subtitle\">An ethics-informed approach<\/div>                        <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-author\"><a href=\"\/authors\/tadele-belay-tuli\/\">Tadele Belay Tuli<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6769-0646\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ORCID eintrag \u00f6ffnen.\" rel=\"noopener\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/assets\/vectors\/orcid.logo.icon.svg\" alt=\"ORCID Icon\" style=\"width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:middle;\"><\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/michael-jonek\/\">Michael Jonek<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2489-6991\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ORCID eintrag \u00f6ffnen.\" rel=\"noopener\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/assets\/vectors\/orcid.logo.icon.svg\" alt=\"ORCID Icon\" style=\"width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:middle;\"><\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/sascha-niethammer\/\">Sascha Niethammer<\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/henning-vogler\/\">Henning Vogler<\/a>, <a href=\"\/authors\/martin-manns\/\">Martin Manns<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1027-4465\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ORCID eintrag \u00f6ffnen.\" rel=\"noopener\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/assets\/vectors\/orcid.logo.icon.svg\" alt=\"ORCID Icon\" style=\"width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:middle;\"><\/a><\/div>\n                        <\/td>\n                     <\/tr>\n                  <\/table>\n                  <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-text\">\n                     Artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance smart assembly by predicting human motion and adapting workplace design. Using probabilistic models such as Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs), AI systems anticipate operator actions to improve coordination with robots. However, these predictive systems raise ethical concerns related to safety, fairness, and privacy under the EU AI Act, which classifies them as high-risk. This paper presents a conceptual method integrating probabilistic motion modeling with ethical evaluation via Z-Inspection\u00ae. An industrial case study using the Smart Work Assistant (SWA) demonstrates how multimodal sensing (motion, gaze) and interpretable models enable anticipatory assistance. The approach moves from ethics evaluation to ethics-informed work design, yielding transferable principles and a configurable assessment matrix that supports compliance-by-design in collaborative assembly.                  <\/div>\n               <\/div>\n               <div class=\"gito-pub-frontend-post-card-scientific\"><strong>Industry 4.0 Science<\/strong> | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 1 | Pages 60-68 | DOI <a style=\"font-weight:bold !important;\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.30844\/I4SE.26.1.58\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">10.30844\/I4SE.26.1.58<\/a><\/div>            <\/div>\n         <\/div>\n      <\/a>\n   <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- GITO_PUB_POST end flex-container -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Digitization has a considerable impact on companies and their business environment. With extensive digital pilot projects and digitization programs, large corporations show that they are increasingly internalizing the digital transformation. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), on the other hand, often have a need to catch up. In addition to the technical aspects of digital transformation, the human factor is playing an increasingly important role. With the help of a cross-sectional analysis of German SMEs, findings on digitization competence were derived and analyzed across industries. The term work 4.0 was divided into the dimensions of qualification, organization and leadership and these were considered as influencing factors. In individual industries, there are clear deficits in the area of digitization competence. It shows that these competences depend to a large extent on the dimensions of the work 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":96513,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[79167,79168,4713,79298],"tags":[68167,79449,69495,74462,72208,70125,71912],"product_cat":[],"topic":[68206],"technology":[68059],"knowhow":[],"industry":[],"writer":[82835,82833,82834,80552],"content-type":[],"potential":[67877],"solution":[],"glossary":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-93183","1":"article","2":"type-article","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"category-design-en","7":"category-translate-en","8":"category-translate","9":"category-typeset","10":"tag-competence","11":"tag-digitalisierung-en","12":"tag-digitalisierung","13":"tag-digitalization","14":"tag-leadership","15":"tag-organization","16":"tag-qualification","17":"topic-industry-4-0","18":"technology-training","19":"writer-florian-doerries-en","20":"writer-henning-schoepper-en","21":"writer-sebastian-lodemann-en","22":"writer-wolfgang-kersten-en","23":"potential-leadership","24":"product","25":"first","26":"instock","27":"downloadable","28":"virtual","29":"sold-individually","30":"taxable","31":"purchasable","32":"product-type-article"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788.jpg",1400,788,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-666x375.jpg",666,375,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-1024x576.jpg",1020,574,true],"front-page-entry":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-1032x320.jpg",1032,320,true],"post-entry":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-764x376.jpg",764,376,true],"post-teaser":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-392x320.jpg",392,320,true],"post-teaser-mobile":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-608x496.jpg",608,496,true],"post-custom-size":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-640x325.jpg",640,325,true],"whitepaper-teaser":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-274x376.jpg",274,376,true],"card-big":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-514x292.jpg",514,292,true],"card-portrait":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-320x440.jpg",320,440,true],"card-big-company":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-514x289.jpg",514,289,true],"gp-listing":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-196x180.jpg",196,180,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788.jpg",1400,788,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788.jpg",1400,788,false],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-510x510.jpg",510,510,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-510x287.jpg",510,287,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-deutscher-KMU-im-Branchenvergleich_IM2018-2-1400x788-100x100.jpg",100,100,true],"dgwt-wcas-product-suggestion":["https:\/\/industry-science.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/schoepper_Digitalisierung-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Brocks","author_link":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/author\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Digitization has a considerable impact on companies and their business environment. With extensive digital pilot projects and digitization programs, large corporations show that they are increasingly internalizing the digital transformation. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), on the other hand, often have a need to catch up. In addition to the technical aspects of digital transformation,&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/93183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93183"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=93183"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=93183"},{"taxonomy":"technology","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/technology?post=93183"},{"taxonomy":"knowhow","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knowhow?post=93183"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=93183"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/writer?post=93183"},{"taxonomy":"content-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-type?post=93183"},{"taxonomy":"potential","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/potential?post=93183"},{"taxonomy":"solution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/solution?post=93183"},{"taxonomy":"glossary","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industry-science.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary?post=93183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}