A comparative analysis of German and Italian enterprises: an Industry 4.0 perspective

Abstract

This study considers the main aspects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, a concept born in Germany which will radically change the manufacturing sector. Companies will create new business models and pursue innovation strategies to meet individual customer requirements to increase their competitive advantage. The analysis is specifically on the German and Italian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), opposed to large companies, focusing on the challenges they are facing when dealing with the drivers of this phenomenon.

There are sectors and countries that are working to create positive frameworks to reach the best result as possible. This generates a difference between the policies and plans of action taken by governments and companies. Governments are shaping the concept of “Industry 4.0” following the needs of their businesses which, of course, depend on various macroeconomic and microeconomic factors that differ from country to country, often even in regional areas.

For sure, Germany, as the groundbreaking and pioneer of this revolution, can be easily seen as the example to imitate from the others in terms of government strategy and framework. The goal of this study is to assess the differences between Germany and Italy, concerning manufacturing SMEs and large enterprises, in the implementation of the concept Industry 4.0. The result will be a detailed explanation on how and why the business characteristics of the two countries differ, influencing their approach to this trend.