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Digitalization and Industry 4.0 Concern Everyone

Turning those affected into co-creators of the digital transformation in Germany's companies: this is the completely new concept developed to cure specialists and managers of their fear of digital change.
Johann Hofmann
June 19, 2024
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Digitalization is everywhere. The achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution have long since found their way into the everyday lives of almost everyone: whether it's the smartwatch that tracks our movements, assistance systems in the car that keep us on track or trigger an emergency call, the smart home that can control air conditioning and lighting, or artificial intelligence that helps formulate an email. In many companies, Industry 4.0 has ushered in nothing less than a new era: the workpiece that finds its own way through a production line has long since become more than a bold vision from a science fiction movie. All-digital production is already becoming a reality in innovative companies. Industry 4.0 is therefore a topic that concerns everyone.

Networking IT world

Networking, data, data exchange: the digital transformation affects everyone, whether at home or at work. Back in the 1990s, I started to systematize the flow of data and information on the shop floor. Together with my team, I developed the basis for digital production and won the first Industry 4.0 Award with the resulting assistance system. I want to transform people from being affected by the Fourth Industrial Revolution to becoming its shapers. In today's companies, employees with different professions, qualifications and activities often come together for meetings. Higher-level employees or managers often use foreign words that not everyone understands.

For this reason, we have developed an Industry 4.0 lexicon. The online collection explains nearly 200 terms, from A for adaptive production to W for wearables. I want to train as many employees as possible in the basics of these future terms, so that everyone can participate in the discussion and contribute ideas.

Online training

Together with Eckert Schools Digital, the digital subsidiary of Eckert Schools, the leading private continuing education company in southern Germany, we developed a special offer: a special online training course as an entry ticket to the world of Industry 4.0. The web-based training course is titled Johann Hofmann Explains Industry 4.0 the Easy Way.

The Eckert Schools Digital product provides a comprehensive insight into this new, multifaceted world. The new self-study modules are a resource for anyone who wants to learn more about the world of smart production and stay up to date.

The training series provides a step-by-step explanation of the key concepts of digitalization in a specially designed framework. The first web-based training course identifies and structures eleven key concepts. In addition to data governance and digital value, these include mobile computing, interdisciplinarity, visualization, robotics, big data, the Internet of Things, the smart world, and autonomy. Quizzes and interactive elements break up and provide feedback on the learning progress. Upon successful completion, participants receive a certificate from Eckert Schools Digital.

Change and respect

Above all, we want to reduce uncertainty and allay fears about the big concept of Industry 4.0. In companies, digital change often spires great respect from employees, but also hesitance, which often leads to the typical tactic of burying one’s head in the sand. At a time, as the half-life of professional skills is becoming shorter and shorter, companies, especially their specialists and managers, need innovative and high-quality knowledge updates that extend and deepen their skills quickly, easily and in a customized way.

Digital transformation

With this new offering, we want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to keep their finger on the pulse or plan their next career move. Digitalization is here to stay, whether it is the ongoing development of artificial intelligence, even greater automation, or cyber-physical systems, which are computers that control something in the physical world.

eckert-schulen.de

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Johann Hofmann

Johann Hofmann is a mechanical engineer and a pioneer in the field of digitalization.


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Working on the SAP basis is crucial for successful S/4 conversion. 

This gives the Competence Center strategic importance for existing SAP customers. Regardless of the S/4 Hana operating model, topics such as Automation, Monitoring, Security, Application Lifecycle Management and Data Management the basis for S/4 operations.

For the second time, E3 magazine is organizing a summit for the SAP community in Salzburg to provide comprehensive information on all aspects of S/4 Hana groundwork.

Venue

More information will follow shortly.

Event date

Wednesday, May 21, and
Thursday, May 22, 2025

Early Bird Ticket

Available until Friday, January 24, 2025
EUR 390 excl. VAT

Regular ticket

EUR 590 excl. VAT

Venue

Hotel Hilton Heidelberg
Kurfürstenanlage 1
D-69115 Heidelberg

Event date

Wednesday, March 5, and
Thursday, March 6, 2025

Tickets

Regular ticket
EUR 590 excl. VAT
Early Bird Ticket

Available until December 20, 2024

EUR 390 excl. VAT
The event is organized by the E3 magazine of the publishing house B4Bmedia.net AG. The presentations will be accompanied by an exhibition of selected SAP partners. The ticket price includes attendance at all presentations of the Steampunk and BTP Summit 2025, a visit to the exhibition area, participation in the evening event and catering during the official program. The lecture program and the list of exhibitors and sponsors (SAP partners) will be published on this website in due course.