Unlocking the potential of digitalization and automation: a qualitative and quantitative study of the control cabinet manufacturing industry

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the German control cabinet manufacturing industry, revealing its opportunities, challenges, and varying levels of digitalization and automation. The researchers employ cluster analysis, grouping companies into five clusters based on digitalization and automation, resulting in a new classification framework. This framework significantly improves the similarity level within each cluster by approximately 52.89 % compared to pre-existing models. While the levels of digitalization and automation vary greatly between the different clusters, skill shortages and supply chain problems are identified as potential development barriers to companies from all groups. To overcome these obstacles, the paper outlines key improvement areas based on data findings. This proposed classification can guide companies in assessing their digital maturity and pinpointing enhancement areas, emphasizing the necessity of adopting digitalization and automation for improved efficiency and market competitiveness.