Industry in a Changing Era: Production Paradigms During the Last 50 Years

Germany has always been known for its strong industrial base. Although the process of deindustrialisation started in the 1970s, manufacturing is still considered a driver for the high innovation and competitiveness of the German economy. Nevertheless, several paradigm shifts in manufacturing have been observed since that time, changing not only the production philosophy but also predominant ways of thinking. These production paradigms are influenced not only by global events and external developments, but also by an advanced innovation and technology policy of Germany. Likewise, they are not only subject to technological innovations, as suggested, for example, by the concept of the four industrial revolutions (Industry 1.0 to 4.0). Rather, the role of humans and work in production has received increasing attention since the 1970s, and revolutionary organisational concepts have also shaped industrial development in Germany. In order to highlight these lines of development, we present in this article what we consider to be the central production paradigms over the last 50 years and highlight the major guiding issues of German manufacturing. Furthermore, we would like to give an outlook on upcoming production paradigms, as well as possible future developments in manufacturing industries.