Why Are Germany and Japan Not "Crazy" about Industry 4.0
为什么德国和日本对工业4.0 不“狂热”
按其热度，似乎工业4.0马上要落地，真实的工业4.0到底距离我们还有多远?
According to its popularity, it seems that Industry 4.0 will soon come into existence. How far is the Industry 4.0 really away from us?
德国为保持在制造业的领先地位，在2013年提出工业4.0概念。有意思的是，中国制造业界和投资界对工业4.0的热情程度超过了德国人。近一年来，国内几乎每天都有工业4.0相关主题的演讲、论坛和沙龙，业内业外都在热烈讨论工业4.0。按其热度，似乎工业4.0马上要落地，真实的工业4.0到底距离我们还有多远?
In order to maintain its leading position in the manufacturing industry, Germany put forward the concept of Industry 4.0 in 2013. Unexpectedly, the Chinese manufacturing and investment sectors are more enthusiastic about Industry 4.0 than the German counterparts. In the past year, there have been keynote speeches, forums and salons on Industry 4.0 related topics staged almost every day in China, and Industry 4.0 has been warmly discussed both inside and outside the industry. According to its popularity, it seems that Industry 4.0 will soon come into existence. How far is the Industry 4.0 really away from us?
2015年4月，IHS公司带了一个制造业和投资考察团参观了汉诺威展会，拜访了德国的一些代表性的企业，如机器人公司KUKA、金属3D打印公司EOS、宝马汽车，以及一些新兴的无人机企业。欧洲之行后又参加日本的Tech Frontier(一年一度的日本电子、机械零配件及材料博览会)展会，并拜访了日本产综研AIST、机器人协会、日立、三菱和野村等企业和研究机构。这些企业和组织都是实现工业4.0的主体机构。
In April 2015, IHS took a manufacturing and investment delegation to attend the Hannover Messe and visited some representative German enterprises, such as the robot manufacturer KUKA, metal 3D printer EOS, automobile maker BMW, and some emerging UAV enterprises. After the trip to Europe, he also attended Japan's Tech Frontier (the annual Japan Electronics and Machinery Parts and Materials Fair) and visited the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), the Robot Association, Hitachi, Mitsubishi and Nomura. These enterprises and organizations are the main bodies responsible for the realization of Industry 4.0.
通过感观见闻对比发现，德国和日本这两个制造强国对工业4.0的态度，有诸多相似之处，我们对工业4.0的认识也更为清晰了，不能一提工业4.0就是C2B(消费者到企业)或者C2M(顾客对工厂)。笔者将此以随笔的形式记录下来。
Through these visits and experiences, it is found that Germany and Japan, the two manufacturing powers, have many similarities in their attitudes towards Industry 4.0. And our understanding of Industry 4.0 is also made clearer. Industry 4.0 no longer simply refers to C2B (consumer to business) or C2M (customer to manufacturer). The author has recorded these findings in the form of essays.
数字工厂和人机是亮点
Digital factory and man-machine are highlights.
西门子的战略很清晰，在汉诺威展会上的标语就是“On the way to Industrie 4.0-Driving the Digital Enterprise”——工业4.0就是要实现自动化、数字化和网络化。
Siemens' strategy is very clear. The slogan at Hannover Messe is "On the Way to Industrie 4.0 - Driving the Digital Enterprise" - Industry 4.0 is to realize automation, digitization and networking.
话虽如此，但德国人首要的突破口是数字化工厂，为什么不是自动化和网络化呢?
Nonetheless, the first breakthrough for the Germans is the digital factory. Why not automation and networking?
德国企业在生产自动化上已经达到很高水平，同样的，日本企业的精益生产方面也有很高水平，但两相比较，德国并不占太大优势。德国企业要想获得领先，必须有新突破，而网络化涉及的产业链企业太多，整合难度较大，需要很长时间。所以目前的突破口只有选在数字化工厂。西门子在本届汉诺威工业展上还强调，做数字化工厂要注意积累专业的行业知识和服务，而每个行业、乃至每个企业，它们的行业特点和能提供的服务都有所不同，这就意味着每个行业甚至每个企业实践工业4.0的路径都可能会不一样。
German enterprises have reached a very high level of production automation. Similarly, Japanese enterprises have also reached a very high level of lean production. For the two rivals, Germany does not have much advantage in comparison. If German enterprises want to get ahead, they must make new breakthroughs. However, there are too many industrial chain enterprises involved in networking, which makes integration difficult and time-consuming. Therefore, the only breakthrough available now is the digital factory. Siemens also stressed at the Hannover Messe that, to do the digital factory, they should pay attention to the accumulation of professional industry knowledge and services. Each industry, even each enterprise, has different characteristics and services to provide, which means that each industry, even each enterprise, may take different paths to implement Industry 4.0.
数字工厂既包含产品的数字化，也包含生产过程的数字化，以及全生命周期的数字化。西门子推广工业4.0，不会忘记推销自家现成的软硬件产品和方案，其涵盖从产品设计、生产规划、工艺工程、生产执行和服务的全套数字化软件方案，也提供了可资参考的德国安倍格市的数字化工厂样版。
The digital factory includes not only the digitalization of products, but also the digitalization of production process and the digitalization of the whole life cycle. Siemens will not forget to promote its own ready-made software and hardware products and solutions when promoting its proposal of the Industrial 4.0. It covers a complete set of digital software solutions from product design, production planning, process engineering, production execution and service, and also provides a reference of the digital factory in Amberg, Germany.
汉诺威展会分大小年，2015年是汉诺威工业展的大年，包含工业自动化和工业传动两部分，27个展馆全部开放，要想走马观花地走完全部27个展馆，一般人的体力很难胜任。由于工作需要，我从2010年开始几乎每年都参观汉诺威，基本都要走完全部27个馆。很多公司每年都有固定的展台位置，参展的展品从外观上看没有太多变化，连展台的装修和内容都和往年差不多。一方面说明工业自动化行业日趋成熟，变化不多。另外也说明对于一些基础的标准化原件，做到精益求精就足够了，无需大修大改。
The Hannover Messe is divided into large and small years. As in a large year, the Hannover Messe 2015 consisted of two parts: industrial automation and industrial transmission. All 27 exhibition halls were open. It may largely impossible for an ordinary person to go through all 27 exhibition halls. However, as required by my work, I have visited Hanover Exposition almost every year since 2010 and gone over all 27 halls basically each visit. Many companies have fixed booth positions every year, and their exhibits on display have not changed much in appearance. Even the decoration and contents of the booths are similar to those of previous years. On the one hand, it shows that the industrial automation sector is maturing day by day with little changes to witness. On the other hand, it also shows that for some basic standardized elements, it is enough to sustain the refinement, with no need of heavy modification.
数字工厂展馆是从2012年才开始设置的，本届汉诺威展会的数字工厂展馆比往届更大，参展厂商更多。众多的工业软件公司展示了自己的软件和方案，如SAP的未来工厂方案，多家工业4.0联盟企业也展示了模块化生产线的概念。
The Digital Factory Exhibition Hall was set up merely in 2012. The hall at that Hannover Messe was larger than the previous ones and attracted more exhibitors. While many industrial software companies demonstrated their own software and programs, such as SAP's future factory program, many Industry 4.0 alliance members also manifested the concept of modular production lines.
除了数字工厂，机器人展馆是本届汉诺威工业展的另一大亮点。而机器人展馆最火的是ABB、KUKA和Fanuc展出的协作机器人。
Besides the digital factory, the Robot Exhibition Hall was another highlight of that Hannover Messe. The most popular exhibits in the Robot Exhibition Hall were the collaborative robots exhibited by ABB, KUKA and Fanuc.
为了工人安全，一般工业机器人的工作区与工人隔离开，机器人像野兽一样被关在笼子里。同时，还安装了很多机器安全设备，如安全继电器、安全地毯、安全光幕、急停开关等，以防止对人身产生伤害。而本届汉诺威展出的协作机器人可以和工人一起协同工作，无需安全护栏，显然参展企业认为自己的机器人没有安全隐患。
For the safety of workers, the working areas for industrial robots are generally isolated from workers, and robots are kept in cages like wild animals. At the same time, many machine safety devices are installed, such as the safety relays, safety carpets, safety light curtains and emergency stop switches, to prevent personal injury. However, the collaborative robots exhibited on Hannover Messe this year could work with workers without safety barriers. Obviously, the participating enterprises think that their robots have no potential safety hazards.
现场的KUKALBRIIWA机器人为观众倒啤酒，从拿杯子、开瓶、倒啤酒，动作流畅灵活，一气呵成。KUKA的LBRIIWA机器人有七个轴，特别适用于电子、医药、精密仪器等行业，这些行业对柔性、灵活度和精准度要求较高。
KUKA's LBRIIWA robot at the site poured beer for the audience, holding the cup, opening the bottle and pouring the beer smoothly and flexibly with no pauses. Featuring seven axes, KUKA's LBRIIWA robot is especially suitable for industries such as electronics, medicine and precision instruments, which require high softness, flexibility and precision.
这些机器人之所以有较好的人机协作，是因为这些机器人所有的轴都具有碰撞检测功能和关节力矩传感器，在它碰到人时会自动减速或停止，工人也可以轻易地推开它。在安装工件时，它还能模仿人类的装配动作，它可以像人类一样用钥匙开门，它将钥匙插入钥匙孔一样，上下左右转动，感觉反馈回来的力矩，找到合适的角度进行装配。加之机器人具有较轻的机身，动作都较为温和，对人不易产生伤害。
The reason why these robots have better man-machine collaboration is that all axes of these robots feature the collision detection function and joint torque sensor, allowing them to automatically slow down or stop when encountering a person, and making it easy for workers to push them away. When installing the workpiece, it can also imitate the assembly action of human beings. It can open the door with a key just like human beings, inserting the key into the keyhole, rotating up and down/left and right, feeling the torque fed back, and finding a suitable angle for assembly. In addition, the robot has a relatively light body, and its movements are relatively mild, not easy to cause harm to people.
德国机器人公司KUKA将今年的创新大奖颁给了ReTeLINK机器人，这是由意大利的研究团队主导的项目，在LBRIIWA机器人和一个外骨骼机器手臂间通过位置传感器等多种传感器建立通讯连接，人穿上外骨骼机器手臂后，就可以通过机器手臂的运动指挥IIWA做出相应的运动。由于是双向控制，反过来也可以由LBRIIWA指挥外骨骼机器手臂运动，这样病人或者行动不便的人戴上外骨骼手臂之后，就可以在IIWA的指挥协调下进行康复训练。
KUKA, a German robot company, awarded this year's innovation award to ReTeLINK robot, a project led by an Italian research team. Communication connection is established between the LBRIIWA robot and an exoskeleton robot arm through a variety of sensors, such as position sensors. When a man puts on the exoskeleton robot arm, he could direct the IIWA to make corresponding movements through the movement of the robot arm. Since it is a two-way control, LBRIIWA can also direct the movement of the exoskeleton robot arm in turn, allowing patients or people with mobility difficulties, putting on the exoskeleton robot arm, to undergo rehabilitation training under the direction and coordination of IIWA.
ABB也用很大的展台展示其协作机器人YUMI，这是一台双臂机器人，每个手臂有7轴，行加灵活，工作范围大，敏捷且精确自主。YUMI装备了很多机器视觉产品和传感器，能自己触摸到小型零部件后通过传感器来感知并完成相应动作，并且保证一定的操作精度(准确到0.02毫米)，相当于人手能感觉到的最小缝隙。这样的能力使得YuMi能够轻松组装各种小件，比较适合手机、平板电脑以及台式电脑零件的装配与生产操作。
ABB also displayed its collaborative robot YUMI with a large booth. It was a two-arm robot, with 7 axes configured for each arm, flexible in movement, wide in working range, agile, precise and autonomous in operation. Equipped with machine vision products and sensors, YUMI could sense through sensors and complete corresponding actions when touching small parts, and ensure a certain operation precision (accurate to 0.02mm), as equivalent to the minimum gap that can be felt by human hands. This ability enables YuMi to easily assemble various small pieces, which is more suitable for assembly and production of parts of mobile phone, tablet computer and desktop computer.
根据IHS公司的研究报告，目前工业机器人85%以上的应用都在汽车相关行业，而汽车行业已经成熟，未来机器人的应用增长空间有限。目前ABB和KUKA大力推广协作机器人是将目光投向了潜力更大的3C制造，该行业需要应用更多的协作机器人。
According to the research report of IHS Company, over 85% of the industrial robots are currently used in automobile related industries. However, the automobile industry is mature, leaving limited space for future growth of robot application. At present, ABB and KUKA are vigorously promoting collaborative robots in an attempt to focus on the 3C manufacturing with greater potential, an industry entailing more collaborative robots.
很多日本机器人厂商也在汉诺威参展，包括Fanuc、Yaskawa、SanyoDenso等。相比于ABB和KUKA大张旗鼓地推广协作机器人，Fanuc展出的协作机器人相当低调，在一个小小的展台展出，Fanuc的机器人一般都是黄色的，而这台Fanuc的协作机器人却是绿色的，以示区别。
Many Japanese robot manufacturers also participated in the Hanover Messe, including Fanuc, Yaskawa and SanyoDenso. Compared with ABB and KUKA's high-profile promotion of collaborative robots, Fanuc kept a low key by exhibiting its collaborative robots in a small booth. Fanuc's robots are generally yellow, while this collaborative robot was colored green to show the difference.
除了人机协作，还有M2M(MachinetoMachine)协作，通过机器人之间的通信，自我组织自动化生产，这样可以获得更高的效率。
In addition to man-machine cooperation, there displayed also the M2M (Machine to Machine) cooperation. Through communication between robots, self-organization and automatic production can be achieved to yield higher efficiency.
我们还在展会上看到4架无人机共同协作，它们拖了网兜去接抛过来的球，这种机器之间的协作，某种程度上拥有了连接的智能。
We also saw four unmanned aerial vehicles working together at the exhibition. They dragged the net sling to pick up the thrown ball. The collaboration among these machines showed the intelligence of connection to some extent.
一般工业机器人属于工业3.0时代的自动化产品，它们仅仅实现了自动化。机器人只有实现了既能按既定程序去执行，还能与人、材料，以及其他设备产生交互，才能叫作智能机器人。机器人协作会有多种外部通信端口与外界通信，与人类协作，实现柔性化生产和数字化生产。
General industrial robots are the automation products of the Industry 3.0 era. They only realize automation. A robot can be called an intelligent robot only when it not only executes to established procedures, but also interacts with people, materials and other equipment. Robot collaboration leaves a variety of external communication ports for communication with the outside world and for cooperation with human beings to realize flexible production and digital production.
在汉诺威工业展上，德国Fraunhofer研究院有一个巨大的展台，展出了Fraunhofer正在研究的各种应用研究产品和方案。Fraunhofer研究院规模很大，有80多个研究院，近15000名科研人员，总部在慕尼黑，是德国也是欧洲最大的应用科学研究机构，每年为3000多企业客户完成约10000项科研开发项目，从大型跨国公司到中小型公司都有合作。年科研经费逾10亿欧元，其中2/3来自企业和公共科研委托项目，另外1/3来自联邦和各州政府。
At the Hannover Messe, the Fraunhofer Research Institute of Germany displayed various applied research products and programs under research on its huge exhibition stand. As a large-scale institute, Fraunhofer Research Institute possesses more than 80 research institutes and nearly 15,000 researchers. Headquartered in Munich, it is the largest applied science research institution in Germany, and even in Europe. It completes about 10,000 research and development projects for more than 3,000 enterprise customers every year, serving both large multinationals and SMEs. It spends more than 1 billion euros on scientific research each year, with 2/3 coming from enterprises and public research projects, and the other 1/3 coming from the federal and state governments.
通过与Fraunhofer专家沟通后获知，德国科研系统中，公共大学与公立研究机构主要从事基础研究，而私立的企业研究院从事应用研究。但是Fraunhofer这样的应用型研究机构则是基础研究和企业创新之间的重要桥梁。Fraunhofer联盟对中小企业创新支持项目的实施，为产学研合作研究提供重要的公共平台。在德国，研究人员也要发论文，但是他们更加注重应用型的科研，需要既有战略前瞻又能与企业需求对接的应用技术。
Through communicating with Fraunhofer's experts, we learned that in the German scientific research system, public universities and public research institutions are mainly engaged in basic research, while private enterprise research institutes are involved in applied research. However, applied research institutions such as Fraunhofer serve as an important bridge between basic research and enterprise innovation. The implementation of Fraunhofer Alliance's innovation support project for small and medium-sized enterprises provides an important public platform for research on industry-university-research cooperation. In Germany, researchers also need to issue papers, but pay more attention to applied research. They need applied technologies that have both strategic foresight and can meet the needs of enterprises.
数字化有深挖的空间
Room for Deep Exploration in Digitalization
之后的日本之行拜访了应用技术研究机构——日本产业技术综合研究所AIST(以下称产综研)，它是日本最大、最具代表性的国立研究所，与Fraunhofer研究院非常类似。产综研下属的研究机构也非常多，遍布日本，在东京，大阪，筑波等很多地方有分支机构。它共有5个大部门(能源&环境、生命&生物科学、信息科学、材料&化学、电子&制造、地质调查、计量标准)，2个中心，10个研究基地，近3000多名研究员。
In the following trip to Japan, we visited AIST. Similar with Fraunhofer Research Institute, AIST is the largest and most representative national research institute in Japan. There are also a large number of research institutes under the charge of AIST, scattered all over Japan with branches set in Tokyo, Osaka and Tsukuba. It has five major departments (Energy & Environment, Life & Biology, Information Science, Materials & Chemistry, Electronics & Manufacturing, Geological Survey and Metrology Standards), two centers, 10 research bases, and nearly 3,000 researchers.
日本的研究所主要包括国立和公立的研究所(产业综合技术研究所和理化学研究所是典型代表)、特殊法人研究所及财团法人和社团法人和民间企业研究所等。在2000年前后，日本政府将原来隶属于多个省厅的研究所调整为独立法人机构，研究所所长由政府直接任命，所有人员都为聘用人员，实行独立法人制度，在赋予大学和科研单位更大的行政权力的同时，这些独立法人也需要做好盈亏预算，运营绩效也要被考核，并以此推动了人员的流动和重组，充分发挥出科研的效益。日本科研力量的主体来自于企业，每年企业研发经费的投入占日本R&D(全社会研究与试验发展)经费的80%左右，其中绝大部分来自于大型企业。
Japan's research institutes mainly include national and public research institutes (represented by AIST and Institute of Physical and Chemical Research), special legal person research institutes, juridical corporation and association, and non-governmental enterprise research institutes. In around 2000, the Japanese government changed the research institutes formerly subordinate to ministries and agencies into independent legal entities, with the directors directly appointed by the government, all personnel employed and an independent legal entity system implemented. While gaining greater administrative power, these independent legal entities also need to make profit and loss budgets, with their operating performance assessed, thus promoting the mobility and reorganization of personnel and giving full play to the benefits of scientific research. The main momentum of Japan's scientific research comes from enterprises. Every year, the R&D investment by enterprises accounts for about 80% of Japan's total R&D (research and experimental development of the whole society) budget, with the great majority contributed by large enterprises.
在访问日本产综研的时候，第一次听到了“本格研究”这个词汇，是指从基础研究到产品市场化的无缝扩展，通过基础研究得到的成果进行梳理、集成、融合、叠加和交叉后，应用到不同领域，开发出适合企业运作的系统技术和应用，消除基础研究和应用研究的隔阂，在这一点上德国的Fraunhofer和日本的AIST都做得不错，搞科研并不只是发论文。
During my visit to Japan's AIST, I heard the word "basic research" for the first time, which refers to the seamless expansion from basic research to product marketization. After combing, integrating, merging, superimposing and crossing, the results obtained from basic research are applied to different fields to develop system technologies and applications suitable for enterprise operation, and to eliminate the gap between basic research and applied research. In this regard, Fraunhofer of Germany and AIST of Japan have done a good job. Scientific research is more than the issue of papers.
产综研数字人体研究中心的持丸正明教授热情接待了我，持丸教授将他做的研究做了简单的讲解，人是工业系统和产品中非常重要的元素。譬如汽车的功能是运输人或物，同时汽车也是由人来操控，正常行驶的汽车就是一个机器与人组成的系统。人类对汽车的零配件的形状、材料、功能已经有了深入认识，甚至早已为汽车建立了数字化模型。但这个人机系统中，我们了解最少的却是人，对于复杂的人在这个人机系统中的作用我们还没有太多认识，人成为这个系统中最薄弱的一环。
Professor Masaaki Mochimaru from the Digital Human Research Center of AIST warmly received me and gave me a brief explanation of his research. People are a very important element in industrial systems and products. For example, the car functions to transport people or things. At the same time, a car is controlled by people. A normally running car is a system comprised of machines and people. People have already had an in-depth understanding of the shapes, materials and functions of automobile spare parts, and even have established digital models for automobiles. However, in this man-machine system, we know the least about people. We do not know much about the role of complex people in this man-machine system. People have become the weakest link in this system.
持丸教授要做的事情就是对人体的数字化，为人建立数字化模型，之后基于这个模型的描述，分析、仿真甚至预测人体的功能和行为。
What Professor Mochimaru wants to do is digitize the human body, establish a digital model for the human body, and analyze, simulate and even predict the functions and behaviors of the human body based on the description of this model.
原来为人建模的方法是在人体表面放置标识，通过为这些标识建模来构建整个人体模型。持丸教授的新方法不用标识，直接通过捕捉人体的视频图像、关节运动角度和相对位置来建立完整的人体数字模型。目前持丸教授的人体数字模型已经开始应用到了日本汽车厂的汽车碰撞测试，消费类公司的运动鞋设计、游戏公司游戏设计、外骨骼机器人、医疗康复机器人等服务机器人设计以及虚拟现实的应用中。
The original method of human modeling is to place marks on the body surface and build the whole body model by modeling these marks. Abandoning the marks, Professor Mochimaru directly establishes a completed digital model of human body by capturing video images, joint motion angles and relative positions of the human body. At present, Professor Mochimaru's digital model of human body has already been applied to the car crash tests in Japanese automobile factories, the design of sports shoes for consumer companies, the design of games for game companies, the design of service robots such as exoskeleton robots and medical rehabilitation robots, and the application of virtual reality.
持丸教授将人体数字化分为三个维度，第一个维度是精确的计量人体，包括物理尺寸、运动捕捉、形状测量、面部表情分析、运动干涉等。另一个是虚拟真实世界的人际交流时，人类的肢体语言和面部表情。所以第二个维度是进行数字化建模。最后，虚拟人类也需要通过数字化模型向真实世界表达信息，不管是通过语音、图像、肢体还是面部表情，都需要建模，这就是人体数字化第三个维度。
Professor Mochimaru divides the digitization of human body into three dimensions. The first dimension is to accurately measure human body, including the physical size, motion capture, shape measurement, facial expression analysis and motion interference. The second is people's body language and facial expressions during the interpersonal communication in the virtual real world. So the second dimension is digital modeling. Finally, virtual humans also need to express information to the real world through digital models. All means, through voice, images, limbs or facial expressions, need modeling. This is the third dimension of human digitization.
狭义的工业4.0主要在生产系统，它的三大集成包含了生产过程的自动化、数字化和网络化，而广义的工业4.0包含了整个生态系统的数字化和网络化，这个系统的外延扩展到物联网和服务网。工业4.0和工业互联网一直在强调物联网、M2M和人机协作，持丸教授的人体数字化的研究其实是将人这个重要元素融入工业4.0打开了一扇窗户。
Industry 4.0 in the narrow sense mainly refers to the production system, its three major integrations including the automation, digitalization and networking of the production process, while in the broad sense it includes digitalization and networking of the entire ecosystem, extending even to the Internet of Things and the service network. Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet have been emphasizing on the Internet of Things, M2M and human-machine collaboration. Professor Mochimaru's research on digitization of human body actually opens a window for integrating the important element of people into the Industry 4.0.
德日大多数企业的态度
Attitudes of Most Enterprises in Germany and Japan
德国前十大贸易伙伴，除了美国和中国外，其他全是欧洲国家，中国和美国加起来也只占了15%。相比较欧盟成员国和非成员国之间的贸易，欧盟成员国之间的交易有更多优惠条件。从2002年到2012年十年间，德国是欧盟经济一体化最大的收益者，同时也是最大的贡献者。而日本的主要出口贸易伙伴集中在亚太区域，同样也说明区域经济对国家出口的影响巨大。
Except the United States and China, the rest of Germany's top ten trading partners are all European countries, with China and the United States accounting for only 15% combined. Compared with trade with non-EU member states, trade between EU member states has more favorable conditions. During the ten years from 2002 to 2012, Germany was the biggest beneficiary and also the biggest contributor of EU's economic integration. Japan's major export trading partners are concentrated in Asia-Pacific region, which also shows that the regional economy has a great influence on the country's exports.
除了区域经济一体化，德国和日本两个国家竞争多于合作，因为日本只是德国第17大出口目的地，而德国只是日本第8大出口目的地，而且占比只有2.7%。
Apart from regional economic integration, Germany and Japan compete more than cooperate because Japan is only Germany's 17th largest export destination, while Germany only Japan's 8th largest export destination, accounting for only 2.7%.
具体到制造业行业，日本和德国在汽车、化工、基础材料、钢铁等行业全面竞争;在机械设备上，德国和日本的数控机床、包装机械、注塑机、机器人、建筑机械、食品机械直接竞争;在自动化产品上更是全面竞争，包括PLC(可编程序控制器)，变频、电机、伺服、减速机等产品;从半导体来看，在功率元器件和控制芯片上面竞争也比较大。
Specifically in the manufacturing industry, Japan and Germany are fully competing with each other in automobile, chemical, basic materials and steel industries. In terms of mechanical equipment, Germany and Japan fall in direct competition in numerical control machine tools, packaging machinery, injection molding machines, robots, construction machinery and food machinery. There is full competition between the two in automation products, including PLC (programmable logic controller), frequency converter, motor, servo and reducer. As to semiconductors, there is also great competition over power components and control chips between the two countries.
日本制造业界对德国工业4.0概念比较冷静，目前只是研究而已，并没有像中国一样大势渲染。日本虽然有自己的工业4.1J，但这个是个民间组织，影响力并不大。
The Japanese manufacturing industry keeps a relatively calm attitude to the German concept of Industry 4.0. At present, it is only studying it and not greatly publicizing it as China. Although Japan has its own Industry 4.1J, it is a non-governmental organization with little influence.
德国的大型企业、软件公司、大学和研究所提工业4.0更多一些，中小企业特别是一些基础自动化原件厂商对工业4.0还处在学习探索的阶段。在斯图加特Sudtec和柏林CWIEME展会的论坛现场，当Fraunhofer，Smartfactory协会和ZVEI电气电子协会的专家讲工业4.0时，偌大的会场听者寥寥，但讲行业和具体产品的专家演讲时，论坛现场瞬间满场。对于做配套元器件的中小公司，可能对大的工业4.0概念不太感兴趣，而更关注自身的产品销售和行业市场。
Germany's large-scale enterprises, software companies, universities and research institutes are mentioning Industry 4.0 more, while small and medium-sized enterprises, especially some basic automation OEMs, are still at the stage of learning and exploring Industry 4.0. At the forums of Sudtec in Stuttgart and CWIEME in Berlin, when experts from Fraunhofer, Smartfactory Association and ZVEI Electrical and Electronics Association talked about Industry 4.0, the large venue was filled with few listeners. But when they articulated on industry and specific products, the venue was crowded instantly. For small and medium-sized matching component makers, they may not be so interested in the big concept of Industry 4.0, but pay more attention to sales of their own products and trend of the industry market.
德国中小企业(Germany Mittelstand)在各个工业领域都比较活跃，超过99%的德国公司属于中小型企业，很多德国的中小企业都是家族拥有或运营，这些企业的目标是做百年老店。它们行事谨慎，很少借贷，以求代代相传。德国同行之间在价格方面并不搞恶性竞争，他们或者在细分行业上构筑自己的竞争优势，或者在质量和产品创新上竞争。
Germany Mittelstand (SME) is relatively active in various industrial fields. More than 99% of German companies are small and medium-sized ones, most of which are owned or operated by families against the goal to build a century-old brand. Cautious in operation, they rarely borrow money, in order to pass it on from generation to generation. German industrial peers do not engage in vicious competition of price. They either build their own competitive advantages in sub-sectors or compete in terms of quality and product innovation.
标准化和模块化是工业4.0的重要概念，对于这些只做配套元器件的中小企业，是工业4.0的标准化产品或模块产品供应商，比较好的策略是专心做好自家产品，跟踪工业4.0的发展，在适当的时候融入到工业4.0的大体系中来。所以，对于工业4.0概念大多数德企略显谨慎。
Standardization and modularization are major concepts of Industry 4.0. For SMEs that only produce supporting components and play as suppliers of standardized products or modular products of Industry 4.0, the better strategy is to concentrate on their own products, track the development of Industry 4.0, and integrate into the trend at an appropriate time. Therefore, most German enterprises are slightly cautious about the concept of Industry 4.0.
日本企业生态模式中，大型企业或母公司扮演了带头大哥的角色，子企业或孙企业跟随大企业做配套。公司和银行集团关系紧密，通过复杂的交叉持股联系在一起;由于银行和其他工商企业关系密切，公司管理者受到保护，从而使之能够不受股东影响而可以进行长线投资。大型企业和中小型企业形成了紧密的企业群体结构，日本小型企业以供应大型企业为主，依赖几家大客户，这样以来日本小厂商在创新方面很难产生自己的想法。
For the eco-model of Japanese enterprises, large-scale enterprises or parent companies play the role of the leader, while subsidiaries or sub-subsidiaries follow up to manufacture supporting parts only. Companies and bank groups are closely linked through complicated cross-shareholdings. Due to the close relationship between banks and other industrial and commercial enterprises, company managers are protected so that they can make long-term investments without being influenced by shareholders. Large enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises have formed a close corporate group structure. Japan's small enterprises mainly live on large enterprise clients. Thus, it is difficult for Japan's small enterprises to come up with their own ideas for innovation.
通过交流，我们发现，德日两国企业对工业4.0的热情明显不及中国企业，它们的着眼点还是聚焦于自身传统竞争力的提高。不过，中国人的热烈讨论并非多余，正因为有了这些讨论和争论，工业4.0的概念渐渐丰满起来，甚至反过来完善了德国的工业4.0的理论体系和实践案例。譬如青岛红领C2M模式和青岛海尔的倒金字塔模式就引起了德国人的高度关注。中国一些大型企业，比如流程制造型企业宝钢，离散制造型企业华为等公司甚至在工业4.0概念提出之前就已经开始了智能制造的实践。（来源：东方早报，原标题：德国和日本对工业4.0并不狂热，作者：周万木(系美国IHS咨询公司的分析师)）
Through communication, we found that German and Japanese enterprises were obviously less enthusiastic about Industry 4.0 than Chinese counterparts, and their focus was still on improving their traditional competitiveness. However, the heated discussions among the Chinese are not superfluous. It is because of these discussions and debates that the concept of Industry 4.0 is gradually enriched and even in turn perfects the theoretical system and practical cases of Industry 4.0 in Germany. For example, Red Collar (Tsingtao)'s C2M model and Haier (Tsingtao)'s inverted pyramid model have attracted great attention from the Germans. Some large enterprises in China, such as Baosteel, a process manufacturing enterprise, and Huawei, a discrete manufacturing enterprise, even started the practice of intelligent manufacturing before the concept of Industry 4.0 was put forward. (Source: Oriental Morning Post, original title: Why Are Germany and Japan Not "Crazy" about Industry 4.0, author: Zhou Wanmu (an analyst of IHS Markit))