MONEY IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Reflections by Jochen Werne, Chief Development & Chief Visionary Officer Prosegur Germany (published in Prosegur Express 02/2021)

In all debates on analogue and digital means of payment, “trust” is always at the centre of the discussion: trust in the state-social order, which stands as a guarantor for stability and security of the fiat money issued. In this respect, some would almost like to marvel at how Bitcoin & Co. have managed to gain such trust in such a short time that a market capitalisation in the billions has been achieved. One of the points is certainly the technological confidence in the non-manipulability of the blockchain.
But is the blockchain really not manipulable, or is it rather a question of time before an attack will succeed? And what conclusions are central banks around the world drawing from this as they look at creating central bank digital currencies? Currencies designed to bridge the gap between the stability of analogue central bank money and the demands of our digital age.

Perhaps the solution for a trustworthy and generally accepted today and now lies in a hybrid model: in a cryptocurrency, in form of a stablecoin, that is 100 per cent backed by physical central bank money. This means that every digital token has a unique physical counterpart (euro). Due to the tradability of the tokens, the flexibility of book money is paired with the guarantee of physical central bank money. Last but not least, a regulated trustee function guarantees that the existing and securely stored central bank money is always paired with its digital twin. Thus. the best of both worlds is firmly united.

Prosegur awarded with the Gold Stevie for Sustainable Product Innovation

It is with great pride that we hold the Gold Stevie Award 2021 in our hands. The award is representative of so many at Prosegur who work every day to make the company once again a pioneer in the industry when it comes to e-mobility and sustainability.

The organizers of the Stevie® Awards 2021 have announced their winners: In the category for special achievements in the field of product innovation, Prosegur Germany has been awarded as GOLD STEVIE® WINNER. With the world’s first fully electric armored MAN eTGE cash-in-transit vehicle, the international jury of experts was convinced. This makes Prosegur Germany one of the winners – alongside other award-winning companies such as Deutsche Post DHL Group, Deutsche Telekom Services Europe SE or Vodafone GmbH.

Read more HERE

EVENT – The way out of the crisis: creating added value through digital transformation

An event organised by acatech – the National Academy of Science and Engineering which is the voice of the technological sciences at home and abroad. acatech provides advice on strategic engineering and technology policy issues to policymakers and the public. The National Academy of Science and Engineering fulfils the mandate to provide independent, evidence-based advice that is in the public interest under the patronage of the Federal President.

Start: 05 March 2021 – 10:00 a.m.
End: 05 March 2021 – 11:30 a.m
Location: Virtual event – Language: German

Especially in the Corona pandemic, digital technologies proved their usefulness: through them, companies were more adaptable in the crisis. What role do digital technologies now play on the way out of the crisis – especially for medium-sized companies? How do they manage the digital transformation and develop new value creation models?

A debate organized by acatech

The host is discussing these and other questions with guests from business and research on 5 March.

PROGRAM

Welcome:

Dr. Johannes Winter, acatech Secretariat

Moderation:

Prof. Dr. Michael Dowling, University of Regensburg/acatech

Impulse/Podium:
DATA, VALUES, VALUE CREATION – WHERE IS THE JOURNEY GOING?

Dr. Wolfgang Faisst, CEO ValueWorks.ai / Platform Learning Systems
BEST PRACTICE INDUSTRY 4.0

LESER GmbH & Co. KG: Digital transformation in medium-sized companies
Kai-Uwe Weiß, Head of Global Industrial Engineering
FORCAM GmbH: Value creation through integrative IIoT platform solution
Franz Gruber, Founder and Advisory Board


EXPERT DISCUSSION: DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FOR A RESILIENT COMPANY

Olga Mordvinova, CEO incontext.technology GmbH / Learning Systems Platform
Jochen Werne, Prosegur Cash Services Germany GmbH / Learning Systems Platform
Franz Gruber, FORCAM GmbH
Kai-Uwe Weiß, LESER GmbH & Co. KG

Registration:
Admission free; registration required. Please register under the following link, all registered will receive the access link before the event.

Link to the registration

Nach dem Lockdown: Gastronomie und Handel werden mit effizienteren Prozessen wieder eröffnen

Interview mit Jochen Werne, CDO/CVO Prosegur Germany, zu effizienteren Prozessen nach dem Lockdown

In seinem Experten-Interview beleuchtet Jochen Werne zentrale Aspekte aus Sicht von Gastronomie und Handel für effizientere Prozesse nach dem Lockdown

Publiziert von Prosegur Deutschland: LINK HIER

Herr Werne, was sind Ihre persönlichen Beobachtungen in Bezug auf Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft nach einem Jahr der Krise?

Jede Krise bringt natürlich zunächst einmal Leid mit sich und eine Pandemie selbstverständlich Leid für den Einzelnen und seine Angehörigen, wenn ihn das Schicksal, der durch das Virus ausgelösten Krankheit ereilt. Alles Weitere ist wie eine Kettenreaktion. Beginnend vom Staat, der die hoheitliche Aufgabe hat seine Bürger zu schützen und dies im Falle einer Pandemie auch mit dem Herunterfahren des gesellschaftlichen Lebens durchsetzt. Dies wiederum hat bei geschlossenen Unternehmen die Folge drastischer Einkommenseinbußen bei weiterlaufenden Kosten. Bei nicht ausreichender Liquidität führt dies dann zu Insolvenzen, Arbeitsplatzverlusten und im schlimmsten Fall zu einer Wirtschaftskrise. Geschichtlich gesehen hat jedoch auch jede Krise – und diese ist keine Ausnahme – dazu geführt, dass die Wirtschaft effizienter wird und technologische Trends eine Beschleunigung erfahren.

Im Moment – in dieser für viele so schwierigen Situation – beobachte ich eine unglaubliche und inspirierende Kreativität. Sie beginnt bei den kleinen und mittelständischen Unternehmen, die sich versuchen agil, der gefühlt täglich neuen Lage anzupassen, sich zu verbessern, Kosten zu optimieren und sich optimal für die Zeit nach der Krise aufzustellen. Das stimmt hoffnungsfroh für die Zeit nach der Krise und es ist eine große Motivation mit einem fantastischen Team den eigenen Teil dazu beitragen zu können.

Jede Krise fordert von Unternehmen eine gewisse Resilienz. Die nationale Akademie der Technikwissenschaften (acatech), hat zum Digitalgipfel der Bundesregierung im November ein Impulspapier mit dem Titel „Resiliente Vorreiter“ vorgestellt. Darin wird Prosegur mit deiner digitalen Smart Cash Lösung als Best Practice Besipiel für ein zukunftsgerichtetes und kostenoptiertes Cash Managment für den Handel und die Gastronomie genannt. Wie funktioniert Prosegur Smart Cash?

Link zum acatech-Impulspapuer

Mit Prosegur Smart Cash können Gastronomen, Einzel- oder Großhändler Bargelder zur sicheren Verwahrung direkt in das Smart Cash Gerät einführen. Das Besondere – im Gegensatz zu einem einfachen Tresor ist es, dass einmal eingeführt, das Gerät automatisch das tägliche Zählen und Abrechnen des Bargeldes übernimmt. Die Zeit- und somit Kostenersparnis in den internen Prozessen bei unseren Kunden ist teilweise beträchtlich. Das Gerät verfügt über ein Kommunikationsprotokoll, das die Überweisung des Wertes der Abholung auf das Bankkonto des Kunden innerhalb von 24 Stunden ermöglicht. Sobald sich das Geld im Gerät befindet, liegt die Verantwortung und Verwaltung bei dem spezialisierten Team von Prosegur Cash, das für den Transport und die Verwahrung des Geldes zur Bankfiliale verantwortlich ist. Somit entfällt auch der teilweise tägliche und nicht ungefährliche Gang zur Bankfiliale.

Was sind die Vorteile von Prosegur Smart Cash?

Zusammengefasst spart es unseren Kunden Zeit und Geld und schafft mehr Transparenz und Sicherheit. Die Kunden von Prosegur Smart Cash können ihr Bargeld schnell und sicher aufbewahren und so unbekannte Verluste reduzieren. Prosegur Smart Cash ermöglicht eine Zeitersparnis durch die Automatisierung des Zählens und bei der täglichen Abrechnung des Bargeldes. Darüber hinaus muss der Kunde dank Prosegur Smart Cash nicht zur Bank gehen, um das Bargeld einzuzahlen, da Prosegur für die Sicherheit bei der Verwaltung und Übergabe des gesamten Bargelds an die Bank sorgt, was gefährliche Situationen für den Kunden vermeidet und ihm hilft, Zeit zu sparen, damit er sich voll und ganz seinem Geschäft widmen kann. Außerdem reduziert eine Smart Cash Lösung das häufige und teure Phänomen des sogenannten „unbekannten Verlustes“.

Was ist „Unbekannter Verlust“?

Jochen Werne: Hierbei handelt sich um den Verlust von Inventar oder anderen Geschäftsressourcen, der auf eine Vielzahl von Faktoren zurückzuführen ist, wie z. B. interner und externer Diebstahl, Verwaltungsversagen, Betrug oder Fehler im Cashflow. Diese Situation stellt für Gastronomen und Einzelhändler oftmals ein zentrales Problem dar.

Was beobachten Sie, in Bezug auf ihre Kunden und wie sich diese auf die Zeit nach dem Lockdown vorbereiten?

Jochen Werne: Es ist eine unglaubliche Sehnsucht zu beobachten, endlich wieder mit seinen Kunden in Kontakt treten zu dürfen, um Ihnen wieder leidenschaftlich die eigenen Leistungen und Services bieten zu dürfen. Viele Kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen, von den großen ganz abgesehen, haben massiv in Hygienekonzepte investiert und versucht die Zeit zu nutzen um die eigenen Prozesse zu kostenoptimieren.

Wir selbst haben noch nie so viele Beratungsgespräche in Bezug auf smarte Bargeldlösungen geführt wie heute. Dies hat sich noch einmal erhöht, nachdem deutliche Aussagen und Studien der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) und der Bundesbank darauf hinwiesen, dass die hygienische Sauberkeit vom Bargeld mindestens gleich dem von Kartenzahlungen ist und eine Ansteckungsgefahr in Bezug auf unsere täglichen Bezahlmethoden in beiden Fällen geringst ist.

Interessanterweise haben wir auch eine hohe Nachfrage nach Effizienzhebung bei Unternehmen mit kleinem Bargeldaufkommen festgestellt und die Zeit genutzt um als erstes Unternehmen in Deutschland auch für diese Gruppe eine entsprechende sehr kostengünstige digitalte Lösungen zu entwickeln. Eine Krise zwingt immer alle effizienter zu werden und es gibt meiner Meinung nach nichts besseres, als dies gemeinsam zu tun. Nur so schafft man es gemeinsam aus einer Krise gestärkt hervor zu gehen.

Book recommendation: Robo-Advisory: Investing in the Digital Age

Edited by Prof. Dr. Peter Scholz; published by Palgrave Studies in Financial Services Technologies. Buy a copy here

Congratulations to Peter Scholz for publishing this excellent book on new technological investment methods. It was an honour for me to write the foreword and I wish every reader enriching insights into this new field of investing in the digital age.

Jochen Werne
Prof. Dr. Peter Scholz

This book is the first to provide comprehensive answers to these questions in a fundamental, decisive, detailed and nuanced way. It clarifies the basics, the technology and the tactics behind those clever, financial machines, gives insights into their previous track record to date and much more. Looking ahead, it provides a preview of what is and may be yet to come. As a matter of fact, so far only a relatively small percentage of the global investment community have more or less relied on robo-advisors, depending on their respective culture. It is also a fact that we are only at the beginning of development. We have all borne witness to how exponentially fast things can move forward. One such example is the evolution of smartphones—which by the way have been around for just a little longer than robo-advisors.

Buying Crypto-Currency with Cash: Prosegur supports the operation of Bitcoin-ATM‘s in Germany

The possibility to buy Bitcoins with cash in a regulated process at a designated ATM intelligently combines the best of both worlds. As Germany’s market leader in cash transport and processing, Prosegur guarantees secure cash handling for Europe’s largest operator of Bitcoin ATMs.

Find details about the project in this article from t3n, translated with Deepl.com. Find original HERE

Sutor Bank has announced a number of cooperations in the fintech sector in recent years. In the future, the tradition-rich bank will set up Bitcoin ATMs in Germany.
The project will be implemented as a cooperation with the Hamburg-based Sutor-Bank, the Austrian Kurant, which claims to be Europe’s largest operator of Bitcoin ATMs, as well as the startup Spot9 with the participation of IDnow, Coinfirm and Prosegur. According to the participants, this is a unique cooperation that meets all the requirements of the German banking supervisory authority Bafin – and the number of participants already suggests how high they are. Their rules include, for example, compliance with money laundering guidelines and the secure identification process of customers, which IDnow takes over. Finally, Prosegur is involved as a security service provider in the area of cash transport and processing and is supposed to guarantee secure cash handling.


Last week, the first machine was set up in Berlin – in the medium term, a nationwide network of Bitcoin machines is to be set up. “Spot9’s vision is to enable everyone, even without extensive prior knowledge, to use our Bitcoin ATMs. That is why it is very important for us to understand exactly how customers behave at the vending machine before we open the additional locations,” says Johannes Gorski, CEO of Spot9.

Vending machine solution: Easier than buying bitcoin via an exchange


The vending machine solution is intended to be a safe and easy-to-understand alternative to buying online and carries fewer risks than buying cryptocurrencies on Bitcoin exchanges, the parties involved explain. The purchase process works via cash and is similar to the operation of a conventional ATM. Thus, the offer is aimed at customers who want to buy cryptocurrencies in their normal everyday life.

After the first vending machine has been set up in Berlin, but can be used by a selected test group for the time being, the primary goal is to get to know the user behaviour of the customers better and thus ensure an optimal user experience. The opening of further locations is to take place in the course of the first quarter of 2021, whereby the Corona Factor will of course still have an impact.

It should be possible to use the Bitcoin ATMs with any digital Bitcoin wallet. The user is thus independent of an ATM-specific wallet. However, in order to use the Bitcoin ATMs, the customer must first go through the registration process with verification on the Spot9 website.

THE 50 MOST INFLUENTIAL GERMANS ON THE TECH SCENE

The Tyto Tech 500 Power List is an objective, data-based survey of various technology sectors in Germany, France and the UK. The study is the first of its kind to measure who has what influence in the tech sector on the basis of various key figures from the online and offline world.

It is a special pleasure to be ranked #35 (Jochen Werne / Prosegur) in the just published Top50-List 2020 of the most influential Germans

DIE 50 EINFLUSSREICHSTEN DEUTSCHEN DER TECH-SZENE

Die Tyto Tech 500 Power List ist eine objektive, datengestützte Untersuchung verschiedener Technologie-Bereiche in Deutschland, Frankreich und dem Vereinigten Königreich. Die Studie ist die erste ihrer Art, die auf Basis verschiedenster Kennzahlen aus der Online- und Offline-Welt misst, wer welchen Einfluss im Tech-Bereich hat.

Es ist eine besondere Freude in der soeben veröffentlichten Top50-Liste 2020 der einflussreichsten Deutschen den Rang #35 (Jochen Werne / Prosegur) zu belegen und dies neben Persönlichkeiten wie (nach Ranking):
Sascha Dolling, Jens Pöppelmann, Oliver von Wersch, Sven Bornemann, Sven Stuehmeier, Carol Starr, Bastian Krüger, Norman Wagner, Miriam Thome, Maike Abel, Nico Winkelhaus, Naren Shaam, Robert Jacobi, Ramin Niroumand, Claudia Kemfert, Mallikarjun Rao, Matthias Reinwarth, Ben Shaw, Tessa Niemann, Maren Wulf, Miriam Wohlfarth, Karin Libowitzky, Afseneh Afsaei, Dr. Oliver Vesper, Tim Sievers, Milos Rusic, Felix Falk, Markus Forster, Martin Schmid, Alen Nazarian, Hartmut Giesen, Peter Altmaier, Murat Vurucu, Chris Bartz, Eduard Singer, Alexander Schott, Ritavan ~, Joachim Hensch, Tim Höttges, Dr. Jan Kemper, Andreas Schierenbeck, Hans-Dieter Kettwig, Jost Backhaus, Jens Spahn, Paul Gauselmann und Frank Puscher

Whitepaper: Introduction of AI systems in companies

Design approaches for change management

About this whitepaper
This paper was prepared by the Work/Qualification, Human-Machine Interaction working group of the Learning Systems Platform. As one of a total of seven working groups, it examines the potentials and challenges arising from the use of artificial intelligence in the world of work and life. The focus is on questions of transformation and the development of humane working conditions. In addition, it focuses on the requirements and options for qualification and lifelong learning as well as starting points for the design of human-machine interaction and the division of labour between man and technology.

Original published in German. Translation made by Deepl.com

Authors:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sascha Stowasser, Institut für angewandte Arbeitswissenschaft (ifaa) (Projektleitung)
Oliver Suchy, Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB) (Projektleitung)
Dr. Norbert Huchler, Institut für Sozialwissenschaftliche Forschung e. V. (ISF-München) Dr. Nadine Müller, Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (ver.di)
Dr.-Ing. Matthias Peissner, Fraunhofer-Institut für Arbeitswirtschaft und Organisation (IAO) Andrea Stich, Infineon Technologies AG
Dr. Hans-Jörg Vögel, BMW Group
Jochen Werne, Prosegur Cash Services Germany GmbH
Authors with guest status:
Timo Henkelmann, Elabo GmbH
Dr.-Ing. habil. Dipl.-Tech. Math. Thorsten Schindler, ABB AG Corporate Research Center Germany
Maike Scholz, Deutsche Telekom AG
Coordination:
Sebastian Terstegen, Institut für angewandte Arbeitswissenschaft (ifaa) / Dr. Andreas Heindl, Geschäftsstelle der Plattform Lernende Systeme / Alexander Mihatsch, Geschäftsstelle der Plattform Lernende Systeme

The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in companies offers opportunities and potential both for employees, for example in the form of relief through AI systems, and for companies, for example in the form of improvements in work processes or the implementation of new business models. At the same time, the challenges in the use of AI systems must – and can – be addressed and possible negative accompanying implications dealt with. The change in the companies can only be mastered together. All in all, it is a matter of shaping a new relationship between people and technology, in which people and AI systems work together productively and the respective strengths are emphasised.
Change management is a decisive factor for the successful introduction of AI systems as well as the human-centred design of AI deployment in companies. Good change management promotes the acceptance of AI systems among employees, so that the potential of new technologies can be used jointly for all those involved, further innovation steps can be facilitated and both employees and their representatives can be made the shapers of technological change.


The participation of employees and their representatives makes a significant contribution to the best possible design of AI systems and the interface between man and machine – especially in terms of efficient, productive work organisation that promotes health and learning. Early and process-oriented participation of employees and co-determination representatives is therefore an important component for the human-centred design and acceptance of AI systems in companies.


The introduction of artificial intelligence has some special features which also have an impact on change management as well as on the participation of employees including the processes of co-determination in the company. The authors of the working group Work/Qualification, Human-Machine-Interaction pursue with this white paper the goal to sensitize for the requirements of change management in Artificial Intelligence and to give orientation for the practical implementation of the introduction of AI systems in the different phases of the change process:


Phase 1 – Objectives and impact assessment: In the change processes for the introduction of AI systems, the objective and purpose of the applications should be defined from the outset with the employees and their representatives and information on the functioning of the AI system should be provided. On this basis, the potential of the AI systems and the possible consequences for the company, the organisation and the employees can then be assessed. A decisive factor for the success of a change process is the involvement of the employees and the mobilisation for the use of new technologies (chapter 2.1).


Phase 2 – Planning and design: In a second step, the design of the AI systems themselves is the main focus. This is primarily concerned with the design of the interface between man and AI system along criteria for the humane and productive implementation of man-machine interaction in the working environment. Of particular importance here are questions of transparency and explainability, of the processing and use of data and of analysis possibilities by AI systems (including employee analysis) as well as the creation of stress profiles and the consideration of employment development (Chapter 2.2).


Phase 3 – Preparation and implementation: The AI systems must also be integrated in a suitable way into existing or new work processes and possibly changed organisational structures. This means preparing employees for new tasks at an early stage and initiating the necessary qualification measures. It is also important to design new task and activity profiles for employees and to adapt the work organisation to a changed relationship between man and machine. A helpful instrument in the introduction of AI systems are pilot projects and expert phases in which experience can be gathered before a comprehensive introduction and possible need for adaptation with regard to AI systems, qualification requirements or work organisation can be identified (Chapter 2.3).


Phase 4 – Evaluation and adaptation: After the introduction of the AI systems, a continuous review and evaluation of the AI deployment should take place in order to ensure possible adaptations with regard to the design of the applications, the organisation of work or the further qualification of the employees. In addition, the regular evaluation of AI deployment can make use of the experience of the employees and initiate further innovation processes – both with regard to the further improvement of (work) processes and with regard to new products and business models – together with the employees as designers of change (Chapter 2.4).


These practice-oriented requirements are aimed at all stakeholders involved in change processes and are intended to provide orientation for the successful introduction of AI systems in companies. In addition, these requirements should also inspire the further development of existing regulations – for example in legislation, social partnership or standardisation – and thus enable an employment-oriented, flexible, self-determined and autonomous work with AI systems and promote the acceptance of AI systems.

Cicero published: Europe at a crossroads

by JOHANNES WINTER and JOCHEN WERNE

23 August 2020

Original in German published online in the Cicero – Magazine for political education. Please click here

Translation made by DeepL.com

In the first half of digitisation, the USA and China have mercilessly left Europe behind. But nothing is lost yet: a plea for sovereign data infrastructures and a transformation to service-oriented value creation.

Europe is at a crossroads – once again. This time it is about nothing less than the preservation of the continent’s sovereignty, at least in technological and economic terms. It is therefore not surprising that “Digital Sovereignty” is a focus topic of the German EU Council Presidency. Europe’s largest economy exemplifies the current challenges in the midst of a global trade conflict and quasi-monopolies of American and Asian platform companies: because Germany’s strength as the world’s equipment supplier is under scrutiny.

Since the 1970s, the first wave of digitalization has been underway, characterized by the use of electronics and IT as well as the automation and standardization of business processes. It has been driven by exponential growth in performance parameters such as communication networks, memories and processors, which is typical for the IT industry. As a manufacturer of machines, plants, vehicles or process technology, Germany has benefited considerably from this. “Made in Germany” is a worldwide promise of quality. But for how much longer? Or to put it another way: How can we transfer this promise into the digital age?

The real and virtual worlds are merging, an Internet of things, data and services is emerging in all areas of work and life. Automated systems driven by artificial intelligence learn during operation and increasingly act autonomously, as collaborative manufacturing robots, robo-advisors or intelligent harvesters.

Europe is falling behind
Consumer platforms such as Amazon, Alibaba and Facebook have dominated the first half of digitisation. With the exception of the streaming service Spotify, Europe is hardly present in the B2C platform markets. The second half includes the industrial sector, both the digitisation and networking of production (Industry 4.0) and the expansion of products and services to include personalised, digital services (digital business models).

So far the stocktaking – what is still outstanding, however, is the comprehensive implementation, without which Europe will fall further behind in the global race. What levers are there for Europe to score points in the second half and thus maintain competitiveness and self-determination? Two aspects seem particularly important:

Without a sovereign data infrastructure
Once developed, software platforms have process costs that approach zero. This makes it easy to aggregate huge amounts of data, learn from data with Artificial Intelligence and use it to develop digital business models that can be scaled exponentially across countries and industries. Google’s search engine with a 95 percent EU market share is an example of both innovation leadership and quasi-monopoly. In order to gain sovereignty over data and data infrastructures, digital sovereignty is needed: from hardware and software components to communication networks, cloud infrastructures, data rooms and platforms.

European efforts such as the policy- and business-driven project “GAIA-X” deserve broad support, even if success is by no means certain. Self-determination does not mean self-sufficiency or the exclusion of dominant competitors. On the contrary: Europe’s path must be determined by diversity, openness and decentralization, not by isolation. A glance at the regional distribution of medium-sized world market leaders is enough to understand that Europe’s technological and entrepreneurial pound is not in the hands of a few large companies.

Germany has domain expertise
Appropriately, Europe should focus on building open digital ecosystems based on a common reference architecture and defined standards, enabling technological interoperability, providing distributed cloud and edge services and relying on European values such as trustworthiness, security, privacy and fairness. In the industrial sector, the race is still open, since production-strong and product-centric countries like Germany have domain expertise and industrial data such as machine, process, user and product data to which hyperscalers like Google and Amazon have so far had only limited access.

But to achieve sovereignty, Europe needs access to the cloud and data infrastructures, whether in the mechanical engineering or mobility sector. And it needs European regulation as well as state and companies as active consumers of European technology and business offerings. To do so, they must be secure, high-performance, cost-effective and competitive. A high standard! However, if Europe chooses the passive path, this endangers economic competitiveness, entrepreneurial freedom and, in the medium term, our prosperity.

Value creation shifts in favour of the platform operators
We know from the consumer world that investor-financed technology start-ups attack established business models in all domains, act as a platform operator between supplier and customer, define rules, standards and interfaces and benefit from network and economies of scale. As a result, value creation shifts in favour of the platform operators, traditional providers of products and services are degraded to suppliers. Operating and controlling platforms and marketing digital products and services on them is therefore a core prerequisite for Europe’s survival in a digital economy.

Since no single company in the industrial environment has the know-how and data to be successful in the digital age, digital value-added networks are the solution. The “Learning Systems” platform, led by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and acatech, recently highlighted a dozen success stories of digital ecosystems in Germany. One example shows how resilient manufacturing is created when machine builders can minimize production stops with the help of IoT and AI service providers by means of data-based prediction.

Process optimization is scalable
If the machine nevertheless comes to a standstill, a contingency insurance policy is taken out. In an Industry 4.0 logic, this creates a flexible production line that almost never stops and is therefore even more profitable. And: This process optimization including the digital business model is scalable and does not remain an isolated solution. Another example shows how agricultural APPs and IoT platforms enable cross-manufacturer data exchange with agricultural machinery, even if farmers and contractors use machines from different manufacturers.

The entire vehicle fleet can thus be optimized via one platform. This reduces complexity and enables medium-sized technology leaders for sensor systems, seeds or harvesting machines to scale in a trustworthy platform environment without having to take a greater entrepreneurial risk in building their own platforms.

Europe must speak with one voice

Many more such examples are needed – and they are also emerging in federal Europe. The realization is there, after all. But: In order to play an important role in the world, Europe should not only become faster, but should also speak with one voice, whether in enforcing a level playing field or in international standardization.

Completing the digital single market is also important to enable what China and the US have ahead of us: huge consumer markets in which domestic providers can scale. Europe is at a digital crossroads. Let us take the fork in the road to self-determination!

Sustainability World Premiere: PROSEGUR launched first MAN armoured E-Truck

Hauptstadt-TV reported on August 6, 2020. Coverage here

Today, on 6 August 2020, the time had come for a world premiere, the first armoured money transport vehicle with an electric motor. This project was only made possible by a collaboration between the MAN vehicle and engineering group and the special protection vehicle manufacturer Stoof and the security service provider Prosegur. Together, they have succeeded in making the heavily armoured vehicles more environmentally friendly. As this report shows.