Bosch Rexroth is engaged as a shareholder in the “Next Level Mittelstand” initiative for the digital transformation of medium-sized companies. The current six shareholders and 23 members of the initiative, including SMEs, start-ups, IT professionals, and consortia, aim to jointly advance digitalization in medium-sized companies and provide practical guidance for its implementation.
According to the German Economic Institute, more than 99% of companies in Germany belong to the SME sector. They employ more than 70 percent of the workforce and generate more than half of the net value added. Thomas Fechner, Member of the Executive Board and responsible for the factory automation business at Bosch Rexroth, points out the potential: “Digitization will open up enormous opportunities for SMEs in the future to further strengthen their competitiveness. The ‘Next Level Mittelstand’ initiative offers the ideal platform for jointly tapping into this potential and making it easier for SMEs to access.”
In terms of technology, the increasing level of digitalization requires a fundamental change – away from proprietary systems and towards open, modular and scalable solutions and decentralized architectures. Artificial intelligence will further accelerate this trend in the future. Bosch Rexroth has been actively driving this development forward for years with its automation system ctrlX Automation and app technology. As a shareholder of the ‘Next Level Mittelstand’ initiative, we want to actively support medium-sized companies with our expertise and work with other members of the initiative to shape the digital future,” summarizes Fechner.
The “Next Level Mittelstand” initiative was founded in April 2024 to support German SMEs on their way to the digital future. It links leading technology providers with medium-sized companies in order to exchange experiences and develop strategies and tools that strengthen the competitiveness of companies in the long term. In workstreams, member companies identify the challenges of digitalization and work together to develop so-called cooking recipes. These are proven step-by-step instructions that companies can use to implement digital measures step by step. Cooking recipes are available to all member companies and can be implemented independently or via service providers.
For example, Bosch Rexroth is currently working with six other companies on a product carbon footprint (PCF) workstream. Once the regulatory requirements have been clarified, the project aims to develop a standardized PCF calculation procedure and exchange best practices.
Source: Bosch Rexroth AG
