Scheer GmbH
In the current episode, Prof. August-Wilhelm Scheer, who was a guest in the very first TechTalk edition at the beginning of 2021, voices strict criticism: Germany helped invent the computer and built it here with companies like Siemens and Nixdorf. But today we don’t really play a big role on the supply side anymore. “We are big users, but we are not leaders in the development of software – and there is actually nothing left of hardware either. We have achieved great success in application software with SAP, also internationally. But that is almost the end of the list.”
The leap into digitalization was missed
The scientist, who himself achieved global success with the business process management solution ARIS, sees several reasons for the loss of importance of the German IT industry. Germany has relied on its engineering and hardware expertise for too long, while software, processes and digital business models have been underestimated.
Scheer also accuses politicians of having overlooked the strategic importance of information technology for decades – with consequences for the competitiveness of numerous industries. When he warned at the federal level that Germany should invest more in information technology, he was often told: ‘We are world export champions. “Let the Americans do the ‘computer work’ – we build the best cars and machines,” said the professor of business informatics.
