Looking 4.0-ward

What the Internet of Production will Mean to Employability and the Future of Work

Disruptive technologies, an increasingly globally networked value creation and socio-political developments are only three of the key factors that are changing our working world. The real-time availability of data and information on the Internet of Production (IoP) enables controlled and more efficient production through increased forecasting capabilities. This unleashes potential for business model innovations, which can be found, for example, in data-based X-as-a-Service models. These developments imply changed requirements for the KSAOs (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Other characteristics) of employees.

The expert lecture “Looking 4.0-ward: What the Internet of Production will Mean to Employability and the Future of Work” addresses which KSAOs are needed to stay employable in the IoP-influenced working environment. Strategies are discussed from an employer’s perspective on how to prepare and integrate their own employees into this working environment.

On the basis of a scientific examination of the construct “industrial employability”, future scenarios for production work in the IoP are developed together with six industry experts. Using two use cases from the companies Henkel AG and Kostal Kontakt Systeme GmbH, it is shown how production work could have changed in 2030 and what influence key factors have derived from the companies’ future scenarios. Based on these findings, recommendations for action are drawn for the long-term success of employees and companies in Germany as an industrial location.