Digital Master as an Enabler for Industry 4.0

Regardless of whether it is a question of business or private lives, education, economy, public management and services or politics - the digital revolution covers all areas of our daily life. For enterprises, this inevitable move means in particular: New technologies and changes in customer behavior and demands throw established business processes off track, opening entirely new possibilities and opportunities. Nowadays, digitization is often mentioned in the same breath with other buzzwords such as Mobile and Cloud Computing, Big Data, Business Intelligence, Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 or 3D Printing. However, this does not go far enough - there are more important drivers pushing the digitization and digital transformation for business organizations. Globalization is one of them, for instance, but also social changes with a new generation of customers - the Digital Natives. In this paper we illuminate the background of the digital transformation, and introduce the term Digital Master or 3D Master for the industrial purpose. We highlight the specific needs and expectations of the automotive industry. In a case study the application of Digital Master is shown in the production planning and quality assurance, based on a practical approach.