Christoph Benninghaus

The organization of a company is a central element in promoting digitalization from an overall firm perspective. Industrial companies typically apply one of the following five organizational forms to found digitalization: decentralized, functional, lead team, center of excellence and lead factory. A recent study shows that the last two are particularly qualified for digitalization activities. A three-stage evaluation process can support the choice of a suitable organizational structure.

Based on an international benchmarking and case study research, the influence of smart manufacturing (Industry 4.0) was analyzed in the context of strategic production management. Taking the existing barriers into account, an approach for the successful execution and roll-out in international manufacturing networks was designed and tested with industrial companies.