WSI-Mitteilungen 3/2018

Sabine Pfeiffer, Norbert Huchler

Industry 4.0 in focus – from vision towards reality?

Abstract

The article discusses whether the concept and vision of Industry 4.0 is sufficiently elaborated to guide empirical research. The conceptual approach touches earlier guiding principles, as well as more recent approaches from Science and Technology Studies (STS) and identifies unanswered questions. Against this background the previous and current interpretations of CIM are compared with those of Industry 4.0 and the empirical contributions combined in this special issue are clustered. These considerations make evident that more basic research is needed to integrate approaches and methods from sociology of work and STS, as well as historical perspectives. more... (in German) 

 
WSI-Mitteilungen 3/2018

Volker Baethge-Kinsky, Kai Marquardsen, Knut Tullius

Perspectives of maintenance work within ”Industry 4.0”

Abstract

The question about the development prospects for skilled industrial workers in the current debate on Industry 4.0 and digitalisation is the subject of controversial discussion. One of the remaining domains of qualified specialist work in the industrial context is maintenance work. Some researchers argue that the maintenance function, termed as “smart maintenance” and part of the “smart factory” is of growing importance, and there are prognoses that there will be positive effects on the quality of work and the qualifications of the employees. However, there are also indications of contrary developments. In this article, based on an empirical case study on the pilot application of a digital assistance system in the maintenance department of a large company, the authors examine its ambivalent work and qualification effects. On the one hand, specialist maintenance work is still characterised by considerable degrees of freedom in work planning and execution based on professional training and implicit knowledge. On the other hand, de-qualification effects are a realistic threat scenario when using “big data” and assistance systems, at least in perspective. If this path were to be pursued, resistance on the part of the skilled maintenance workers should be expected. more... (in German) 

 
WSI-Mitteilungen 3/2018

Martin Kuhlmann, Barbara Splett, Sascha Wiegrefe

Assembly Work 4.0? A case study on work-related effects and design perspectives of digital operator guidance

Abstract

Although the discussion about the future of work in the light of Industry 4.0 and digitalisation has been intensified, there is still a lack of in-depth empirical research on the emerging work-related effects of digital technologies. Current research examines case studies which investigate operational digitalisation concepts. Based on one case study, the article provides a concise insight into the work effects of digital operator guidance at an assembly area in the automotive industry and presents the extent to which this technology changes assembly work. Based on workplace observations, interviews with experts and employees as well as a survey, the conclusion of the research is analysed. The use of digital operator guidance is associated with some changes in the work situation and working conditions, but a fundamental change of assembly work is not in sight. However, the case study provides evidence that a digital worker guidance system is accompanied by new design options and that there is a need for action requirements in terms of work policy. more... (in German) 

 
WSI-Mitteilungen 3/2018

Gernot Mühge

Incorporation of rationality in the organisation ? Digital decision support systems in production

Abstract

In the industrial sector digital decision support systems (DSS) in production planning and control are aimed at reducing the likelihood of incorrect machine scheduling decisions. DSS relate to the area of responsibility of the middle management level which is at the core of this article. On the basis of qualitative data, the author shows that DSS change the coordinating function and restrict the human decision-making competence. Beyond the middle managers, this also applies to the scope of decision making on the part of production employees as well as of partially autonomous working groups. On the one hand, this means that middle managers are relieved of the risk of making wrong decisions and gain space for other, non-repetitive tasks. On the other hand, digital decision support tends to contribute to an automation scenario and, by limiting autonomy, violates an important social and labour policy standard. more... (in German) 

 
WSI-Mitteilungen 3/2018

Gerhard Syben

Construction 4.0 and consequences for work in construction companies

Abstract

The article presents the forms, status of and prospects for the introduction of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the German construction industry, which is seen as an equivalent to Industry 4.0. It is based on the author’s own exploratory empirical study, which in turn is based on interviews with a number of BIM experts and a review of German literature on the subject. The author shows that while BIM is seen as a promising method for increasing productivity and quality, and for improving cost and schedule reliability in construction, it is still not widely used – not least due to reticence towards BIM on the part of clients and architects. Some construction companies have thus taken the initiative, provisionally using parallel structures and special working groups of employees skilled in IT and with BIM experience. However, the key factor in the skills required remains basic construction training and practical experience. Investment in further training is also required. Job losses are not predicted. BIM expertise could also be a crucial factor in a redistribution of roles between professional clients, architects and construction companies. more... (in German) 

 
WSI-Mitteilungen 3/2018

Tobias Wienzek, Alfredo Virgillito

A silent innovation, not a radical change. The implementation of an Industry 4.0 solution at a furniture manufacturer– a case example

Abstract

In the discourse on the dispersion of digital technologies a disruptive change in regards to the social and economic consequences is often spoken about. Based on a case example, the implementation of an Industry 4.0 solution at a furniture manufacturer, the article shows that the changes due to digitalisation will probably be incremental and path dependent rather than disruptive. This assumption is substantiated by two arguments : First, small and medium-sized enterprises often lack resources for big and risky investments in digital solutions. They prefer to build on existing structures. Second, the case example shows that the implementation of Industry 4.0 does not exclusively depend on technological aspects. Social factors are decisive for the success of implementation processes. In particular it is the participation of the employees and a transparent information policy that are paramount to a successful implementation. more... (in German) 

 
WSI-Mitteilungen 3/2018

Kerstin Guhlemann, Arno Georg, Olaf Katenkamp

The individual at the centre – or in the way ? Limitations and potentials for humane work structuring in the digital transformation

Abstract

The humane design of cyber-physical systems in Work 4.0 is a key -challenge that can only be met by a clarification of the issue and a precise description of the changes and states of the working conditions. The article therefore provides an overview of the interactions between people and machines in the context of cyber-physical systems, thereby enabling the impacts on the employees to be shown. In order to grasp the creative possibilities of work structuring, but also the obstacles that are faced, it is necessary to focus on the strategies and attitudes of works councils. The findings are empirically based on case studies in pioneer enterprises. The possibility of work processes controlled by machines based on real-time data emphasises the need for a proactive, holistic perspective on prevention. To realise this aim, it is not necessary to have a complete understanding of the algorithms, but rather to strengthen the awareness of relevant questions that need to be asked on shaping aspects of the work process with regard to the well-being of the employees. more... (in German) 

 
WSI-Mitteilungen 3/2018

Thomas Haipeter, Inger Korflür, Gabi Schilling

New coordinates for a pro-active labour policy. Experiences from the union project Work 2020 in North Rhine-Westphalia

Abstract

The project Work 2020, initiated by unions from the manufacturing sector in North Rhine-Westphalia, aims at gaining knowledge about factors that may facilitate a pro-active labour policy and about the chances for unions and works councils to widen their scope of codetermination and influence under the conditions of Industry 4.0. The project focuses on dialogic techniques in order to reflect the ongoing changes taking place in the plants amongst employees, works council members and also management and to identify new challenges in the field of labour policy. The process is supported by union-oriented consultants, the union itself, and scientists. A central instrument in the organisation of the process is to map digitalisation and change in each plant taking part in the project. The landscapes of Industry 4.0 drawn by the actors show a very different picture, both within and between the plants. The general view represents a mosaic of partly connected, partly isolated strategies of digitalisation rather than a homogeneous development. more... (in German) 

 
WSI-Mitteilungen 3/2018

Ingo Matuschek, Frank Kleemann

“You can’t regulate what you don’t know“. Labour-management contracts as a means of labour policy regulation of Industry 4.0 and digitalisation

Abstract

Technological and organisational changes in the contemporary working world are shaped by processes of digitalisation and the introduction of components of Industry 4.0. Its consequences for work and manufacturing processes pose challenges for the representation of interests at the plant level. Labour-management contracts are a powerful instrument for works councils if it comes to mediating interests in processes of rationalisation. However, both technological and organisational characteristics of digitalisation make it difficult to make use of this instrument. Based on interviews with works-council members conducted as part of case studies on the introduction of Industry 4.0 applications, the article identifies typical problematic constellations for the agency of works councils in the face of ongoing processes of digitalisation, and discusses necessary learning processes (of trade unions) in a yet unclear field of action. more... (in German) 

 
WSI-Mitteilungen 3/2018

Jürgen Klippert, Moritz Niehaus, Detlef Gerst

Good work through digital technology? Experiences with the application of digital worker-assistance systems

Abstract

Based on examples of digital worker-assistance systems used in assembly, this article examines digital transformation from the perspective of labour policy. Two case studies show the extent to which production work is changed, which strategies are pursued by works councils in the organisation of digitised work, the role played by examples of good work and the extent to which works councils can realise their capacity to intervene. There is a particular focus on the significance of employee participation. It is demonstrated that technological modernisation alone has neither a good nor bad influence on working conditions, rather it is the work structure that is decisive. more... (in German) 

 
WSI-Mitteilungen 3/2018

Melanie Frerichs, Viktor Steinberger

Smart food factory: Characteristics of Industry 4.0 in the food industry and implications for employee representation

Abstract

One of the largest German sectors, the food industry, is focusing on the smart food factory. In this article, results of current research carried out by the Hans Boeckler Foundation (HBS) and the Food, Beverages and Catering Union (NGG) examining the characteristics of Industry 4.0 in six enterprises within the sector are presented on the basis of interviews with experts. Different approaches are presented which are influenced, amongst other factors, by the specifics of the sector and the division between larger enterprises on one hand with a strong bias towards technology and the small and medium-sized enterprises on the other. The article presents the methodological approach of the analysis and the progress of the implementation of Industry 4.0, as well as the essential results demonstrated through the example of a case study. Guideline proposals and recommendations for action on the part of the workforce representation in the digital transformation process are presented. more... (in German) 

 
WSI-Mitteilungen 3/2018

Welf Schröter

Appeal for a change in perspective in the discourse on organisation within trade unions

Abstract

The article reflects trade union competence for sustainability in the process of digital transformation. According to the author a change in perspective is necessary; from ‘catching-up digitalisation‘ to ‘forward looking‘ structuring of autonomous software systems. The idea of the person as vital player can soon shift to the autonomous software-system as vital player. The person must be at the centre of changing work structures when thinking about self-learning software. A new concept is needed on the part of trade unions in their support for works and staff councils. more... (in German)