Industry 4.0: IT SMEs are the engines of Europe’s digital transformation
Today at Milan’s ICT trade fair SMAU, the European DIGITAL SME Alliance together with CNA ICT organized their Round Table on “Digitisation and Industry4.0: the role of SMEs in Europe’s digital transformation”.
With SMEs at the center of the discussion, the speakers addressed the importance of the digital transformation of European industry as a way to maintain and strengthen global leadership in several industrial sectors.
The event gathered speakers from Italian, German and European SME associations, as well as the European Commission and national policy makers with support of the German Consulate of Milan. Participants shared projects and policies for the digitisation of SMEs and Industry4.0 both at national and at EU level.
The European Commission, as well as national governments, are now focusing on Industry 4.0. Oliver Grün, President of the European DIGITAL SME Alliance, said “We are glad that our governments, especially the Commission, have now realised the importance of the digital transformation. Today, we have shown that the real engines of digitisation are IT small and medium sized companies. Europe has thousands successful IT SMEs, whose core business is to provide technologies to other SMEs. Investing in these hidden champions of the digital world is key to the success of Europe’s Industry 4.0”.
In his concluding remarks, Fabio Massimo, president of CNA ICT, highlighted that “The digital transformation of crafts and SMEs is essential to maintain Europe’s prosperity and to secure a leading position in the future global economy. We are committed to work together to achieve this common objective. SME Technology Providers and SME Associations’ Competence Centers are already at the forefront of this task with the support of the European Commission and national governments.”
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Material distributed to participants:
