Companies have changed the way they operate and are more agile than before the pandemic. With our experts: Hao Jin, General Manager at Industrie Informatik (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Tilman Rieger, CEO of 8C Consulting, Prof. Dr. Wei Manske-Wang, Head of China Center at MCI | DIE UNTERNEHMERISCHE HOCHSCHULE, Steffen Raschka, Production Manager, Blum China we talk about different point of views on this topic.

Since 2020, the Covid pandemic has been changing the business life of German manufacturing companies with locations in China. In particular, the cooperation between headquarters and plant China as well as between production and internal/external partners along the value chain is complicated by repeatedly necessary corona measures such as lockdowns. All our experts confirm that these current challenges are driving digitization in manufacturing companies. Digital tools help companies to create data transparency about production performance, supply chain situation or cost situation and to share it globally with internal and external partners. However, not only the digital tools such as MES (Manufacturing Execution System) are important for production management today. Leaders need to learn how to build trust and relationships in new virtual environments, such as online meetings, to make collaboration effective. In an intercultural environment, virtual communication is even more difficult. In this new field "Virtual Shop Floor Management", everyone is still at the beginning of building up competence. There is only one thing that helps, the "trial-and-error" approach. This applies not only to a gradual introduction of the system landscape in production, but also to enhancement in leadership and soft skills.

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