Digitalisation is indispensable - that is one of the lessons from the COVID19 pandemic. This is important for different sectors. But especially in the industrial sector, it is more important than ever to invest in digital technologies.
To find out how strong Dutch industrial companies stand compared to other European countries in digital transformation, reichelt elektronik commissioned OnePoll to conduct a survey on industrial companies' budget planning for 2021 in October 2020. This yielded interesting results. In the midst of a pandemic and its economic impact at the European level. Besides in the Netherlands, the survey was also conducted in France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.
Dutch industrial companies defy corona pandemic
Despite Dutch companies being challenged by the corona pandemic, this survey reveals a more positive picture than expected. On average, Dutch companies expect to invest 7.2 per cent of current annual turnover in digitalisation by 2021. 79 per cent of those surveyed said they were planning more investments compared to the previous year. In Switzerland and Austria, 90 and 95 per cent of respondents respectively said they will invest more than in the previous year.
Investment in digitalisation is extremely important across Europe. More than three quarters of Dutch respondents said it is one of their top priorities. For 43 per cent, digitalisation is the first priority in terms of development in 2021. For 39 per cent, it is the second priority. 47 per cent of participants foresee new acquisitions in this area, while 44 per cent want to expand and improve existing solutions.
Leader in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
Clearly, there is a positive outlook for planned investments in 2021. The focus is on the acquisition of digital tools by industrial companies in the Netherlands. It also shows that the Netherlands is investing in digitalisation to cope with intensifying international competition. For instance, Dutch industrial companies see that IIoT enables them to grow in terms of digital transformation. This is also evident in comparison with other countries. The Netherlands is above the average of 30 per cent when planning purchases in IIoT at 48 per cent. Similarly, German companies are at 25 per cent and French at 26 per cent.
Robotics and AI strategy are working
The Netherlands is also above average when it comes to robotics. Among Dutch IT professionals, 46 per cent say they want to invest in robotics. Among other countries where this survey was conducted, the figure is 31 per cent. Reason for this could be, that the Netherlands is lagging behind in investing in robotics and wants to catch up.
Artificial intelligence shows that IT managers in the Netherlands have realised the benefits of AI in a smart factory. Overall, 87 per cent say they intend to focus on this in 2021. Compared to the average of 74 per cent of all respondents in the survey, this puts the Netherlands on the right track.
Netherlands can become leader in industrial innovations
Capgemini research shows, that the Netherlands has a strong interest in 5G, which is confirmed in this survey. As many as 86 per cent of Dutch IT professionals surveyed say they plan to make new purchases or invest in 5G upgrades. The average for all countries is 73 per cent.
