Opening up new customers and markets on platforms Digital platforms like Amazon and Uber have transformed their industries in the B2C sector. This change is increasingly coming to B2B markets as well. In order to remain competitive and generate revenues beyond pure product sales, manufacturing companies must increasingly dovetail their products with services. Digital platforms enable them to offer customers an end-to-end solution, from order entry to production and logistics. The prerequisite is innovative solutions that offer customers added value and thus generate an adequate willingness to pay.

Digital platforms in the sense of IoT platforms are the basis for many digital business models in the industrial environment, as they acquire, process and provide data from machines and plants. The introduction of these platforms is often associated with technical challenges (e.g., connecting the machines). In addition, it is a difficult decision to select a suitable IoT platform provider, as the introduction of an IoT platform requires the highest level of data security and is usually accompanied by lock-in effects.

The aim of the project is to tap the potential of digital platforms for companies. This involves determining which market services are suitable for platform business, how existing platforms can be used and what changes need to be made in companies. Based on a platform radar, different reference platform strategies for SMEs will be developed. A guideline will support companies in developing their individual strategy. In the context of application design, role profiles and organizational structures will also be developed that are necessary for setting up a platform.