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Industry in transition: from increased efficiency to sustainability

The manufacturing industry is undergoing profound change. Global competitive pressure, volatile supply chains, and rising costs require new approaches to organization and production. Industry 4.0, automation, and digital process chains offer the opportunity to increase efficiency and quality while ensuring the resilience of companies.

The key drivers of this transformation are networked systems and data-based decision-making processes. The use of sensor technology, real-time analysis, and intelligent automation can optimize production processes, reduce downtime, and make more efficient use of resources. This not only makes manufacturing more cost-effective, but also more flexible and adaptable to future market requirements.

 

Challenges
Business objectives

Challenges

  • Volatile supply chains: Dependence on global markets and geopolitical risks.
  • Cost and margin pressure: Rising energy, raw material, and personnel costs are weighing on profitability.
  • Digitalization & Industry 4.0: Need for investment in automation, AI, and smart manufacturing.
  • Sustainability & ESG: Compliance with strict environmental regulations and decarbonization targets.
  • Skills shortage: Shortages of skilled workers for technology and production.


 

Business objectives

  • Resilient supply chains: Establishing flexible and resilient value creation networks.
  • Increased efficiency: Through process optimization, automation, and lean manufacturing.
  • Digital transformation: Use of Industry 4.0 technologies for smart production.
  • Sustainable production: Reduction of CO₂ emissions and resource-saving processes.
  • Innovative business models: Development of service-oriented offerings (e.g., “Equipment-as-a-Service”).


 

Our Services

Consulting approaches for Industry 4.0

1. Strategic alignment and target vision development

  • Digital strategy & roadmap: Development of a company-wide Industry 4.0 strategy with clear priorities and milestones.
  • Maturity analysis: Assessment of the current state of digitalization (technology, processes, organization, data competence).
  • Business case development: Quantification of the economic benefits of digital initiatives (efficiency, quality, costs, time-to-market).

2. Process digitization and automation

  • End-to-end process design: Identification and digitization of core processes along the value chain.
  • Robotics & automation: Use of collaborative robots (cobots), automated material flows, and autonomous manufacturing systems.
  • Lean + digital integration: Combination of classic lean methods with digital tools to increase efficiency.

3. Data and platform strategy

  • Data architecture & governance: Establishing a company-wide data structure for transparency and analytics.
  • Industrial IoT (IIoT): Networking machines, sensors, and systems for real-time data collection.
  • Advanced analytics & AI: Utilizing predictive maintenance, quality analyses, and production optimization through artificial intelligence.

4. Change management and training

  • Competence development: Training employees in digital skills and agile methods.
  • Change communication: Promoting a digital corporate culture and acceptance of new technologies.
  • Governance structures: Establishing clear responsibilities and decision-making processes for digital transformation.

5. Technological implementation and piloting

  • Use case development: Implementation of selected flagship projects with a rapid return on experience.
  • System integration: Connection of MES, ERP, and IoT platforms to form an integrated smart factory landscape.
  • Scaling: Rollout of successful pilot projects to global locations.

Outlook: Industry 5.0: the next evolutionary stage of value creation

While Industry 4.0 focuses on the digitization, automation, and networking of production processes, Industry 5.0 expands this approach to include people as a key success factor. The focus is shifting from pure efficiency gains to collaboration between humans and machines, sustainable production, and resilient value creation systems.

Industry 5.0 aims to combine technological performance with social responsibility. Companies are increasingly developing hybrid working models in which artificial intelligence, robotics, and data analysis support human creativity and decision-making. At the same time, the individualization of products is gaining in importance—manufacturing systems are becoming more flexible and customer-oriented, while ecological aspects are being firmly anchored in production planning.

In the long term, Industry 5.0 will establish itself as a model for a people-centered, sustainable, and resilient industry. It combines efficiency with meaning and technological innovation with social responsibility—a paradigm shift that encourages companies to rethink value creation.

 

 

 

Why 4C?

Our consulting services don't end with ideas. We deliver solutions that take effect immediately and produce measurable results.

Every recommendation is geared toward implementation and impact.

This is how we create tangible progress for your company.

Contact us to learn more

Client Testimonials

“
"The 4C GROUP pursues a consulting approach that is rarely found today. The combination of professional know-how, procedural expertise and technical competence offers considerable added value, especially in performance management. Concept and implementation go hand in hand and you get not only a presentation of options, but real consulting based on individual requirements".

Oliver Braun, Managing Director | Intralogistics Solutions

“

Reference Cases

Company consolidation

CFO Advisory

Bigger Picture

Following the takeover by an investor, the previously manual processes in group accounting had to be automated and more closely integrated. The core challenges lay in the transition from HGB consolidation to IFRS and later to J-GAAP. In addition, various group levels were consolidated with push-down of ppa postings for each level to the legal entity. This involved many different subgroups with decentralized data upload for differing fiscal year logics.

 

i
Industry: Sanitary products
Region: Germany
Employees: 7.500

4C Consulting approach

  • Definition and establishment of group-wide harmonized structures in accordance with the required IFRS financial statements
  • Mapping of local CoA to IFRS accounts and automation of the upload routine, taking into account different fiscal year logics
  • Implementation of the investment register for HGB and IFRS within the consolidation system 
  • Integration of automated ppa push-down postings into the legal entity
  • Setup of validation reports, audit rules, and standardized reporting process

 

Added Value

Complete automation of consolidation for different hierarchy levels and subgroups. This also created transparency for auditors and shareholders regarding the level and GAAP according to which the corresponding postings are made and the effects this has on which segment.

Download the Use Case

Digital Roadmap

CDO Advisory

Bigger Picture

Until then, the group had been organized in a decentralized manner and managed on a regional basis. In the course of digitalization, the focus was on identifying potential opportunities in the finance department that would enable a clear vision and roadmap to be communicated internally in the regions and to the executive board.

 

 

i
Industry: Connection technology
Region: Germany
Employees: 6.000

4C Consulting approach

  • Vision: External requirements of stakeholders and internal requirements of finance
  • Creation of a decision template with prioritization of project clusters
  • Subsequent coordination of all results with finance, IT, sales controlling, procurement, and logistics

  • Clustering of measures into project packages and creation of a roadmap

 

Added Value

The transparent presentation of the options made it clear which basic tasks needed to be tackled first. This reduced the pressure from internal discussions about digitization. At the same time, a clear vision and a concrete procedural model could be presented.

 

 

Download the Use Case

Your Experts


We support your Transformation.

 

 

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Thank you for your trust. We look forward to hearing from you.

 

Claudia Bauer

Head of Marketing & Business Development

+49 89 599 882 0

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Maike Ring

Senior Expert Marketing & Business Development

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