UdZ 01.21

SPECTRUM – APPLIED RESEARCH 95 / UdZ 1-2021 I n Zeiten von Digitalisierung und Industrie 4.0 stehen Unternehmen vor der Herausforderung, den Ansprüchen der digitalen Transformation gerecht zu werden, die unter anderem im Erreichen einer nutzenbringenden Vernetz- ung unter angemessenem Aufwand liegen. Bereits in noch überschaubaren Systemlandschaften finden sich Unmengen anDatenquellen, die erfasst und in die Realisierung von zahlrei- chen Usecases überführt werden können. Bei den Unmengen an Möglichkeiten fällt es schwer, die Digitalisierung auf die spezifischen Handlungsbedarfe auszurichten, die für das in- dividuelle Unternehmen den größten Mehrwert bieten. Eine Umsetzung aller potenziell verfügbaren Optionen bietet, wenn organisatorisch überhaupt zu beherrschen, für den not- wendigen Aufwand keinen ausreichenden Mehrwert. Die Grundlage für eine digitale Transformation in der Produktion bildet zentral die Vernetzung der IT- und der OT-Landschaft im Unternehmen. Aufgrund der spe- zifischen Branche, Unternehmensstrategie und ver- fügbaren Technologien ist die vorliegende Landschaft hochindividuell, sodass ein „One fits all“-Ansatz nicht funk- tioniert. Zielführender ist eine strukturierte, methodische Unterstützung, die von der individuellen Ausgangssituation ausgeht. In dem Forschungsprojekt ‚MarryIT‘ wird eine solche methodische Grundlage entwickelt, um die Integrationspotenziale im eigenen Unternehmen gezielt zu identifizieren. Diese werden zur Ableitung maßgeschnei- derter Handlungsempfehlungen anhand des individuel- len Nutzens bewertet. Die Notwendigkeit einer solchen Methodik ergibt sich aus den im Folgenden vorgestell- ten Problemstellungen. I n times of digitalization and Industry 4.0, companies are faced with the challenge of meeting the demands of digital transformation, which include achieving a value- enhancing integration of systems at a reasonable cost. Even in only moderately complex system landscapes, there are vast amounts of data sources that can be collected and leveraged for numerous use cases. Given the vast number of options, it is difficult to focus digitalization efforts on those measures that offer the greatest added value for the company in question. Implementing all potentially available options – if at all possible – does not provide sufficient added value given the effort this requires. The centralized integration of a company’s IT and OT landscapes provides the basis for digital transformation in production. Due to factors such as a company’s industrial sector, corporate strategy, and available technologies, its existing landscape is highly individualized – as a result, there is no “one fits all” solution. What is required for effective transformation is structured, methodical support that starts with the as-is situation of a company. In the MarryIT research project, such a methodologically informed basis is being developed. The aim is to identify the integration potential available in a company. The available possibilities for integration are evaluated in terms of their specific benefits and, based on this analysis, tailored recommendations for action are derived. The need for such a methodology is due to the various problems outlined below. At the beginning of the transformation process, companies are often faced with the challenge of identifying which of their IT and OT systems are already ready for integration. In the process, many companies are unaware of the potential benefits they can already achieve with their existing resources and that it often takes little effort to realize the desired outcome. The problem is that there are many generic solutions available on the market, and that the capabilities within the company are not fully transparent. Manufacturing companies in particular are affected by this problem due to historically grown and non-transparent IT/ OT landscapes. For example, a company's machinery may consist of many old machines that cannot be seamlessly digitally connected. A possible solution would be to purchase a more modern machine; however, the problem can be easily remedied by a so-called retrofit, i.e. to equip the machine with the technology required for digital integration. This retrofit achieves the desired goal and often saves substantial time and money. As this example illustrates, it is worthwhile to analyze the current state of one's own landscape before initiating digitalization activities.