As of: 4 May 2026 · Reading time: 3 min
Key takeaways
- German industry, especially **production and manufacturing**, is considered a synonym for precision, quality and engineering.
- But behind the state-of-the-art façades of Industry 4.0 initiatives and smart factories,...
German industry, especially **production and manufacturing**, is considered a synonym for precision, quality and engineering. But behind the state-of-the-art façades of Industry 4.0 initiatives and smart factories,...
“In fifteen years we have not seen a project that could not be rescued—the question is whether the effort pays off.”
– Björn Groenewold, Managing Director, Groenewold IT Solutions
Author: Björn Groenewold | Published: January 2026
"In fifteen years we have not seen a project that could not be rescued — the question is whether the effort pays off." — Björn Groenewold, Managing Director, Groenewold IT Solutions
The Situation in German Manufacturing
Short: German industrial companies have invested heavily in modernisation.
German industrial companies have invested heavily in modernisation. Despite this, many plants still rely on software that is 15 to 20 years old. These systems control critical production processes.
They often lack security updates, modern interfaces, and the performance required for Industry 4.0 applications.
Software rescue is a bridge strategy. It stabilizes existing systems immediately. It then enables a controlled transition to modern platforms — without halting production.
Three Risk Areas in Production IT
Risk 1: Unexpected Production Failures
Legacy control systems and MES applications fail without warning. A production standstill costs a medium-sized manufacturer between €10,000 and €100,000 per hour. These costs include:
- Lost revenue during downtime
- Wages for inactive production staff
- Contractual delivery penalties
- Cost of emergency recovery or repair
Proactive software rescue prevents unplanned failures. It is significantly cheaper than emergency intervention.
Risk 2: Scarce Personnel for Legacy Systems
Many production systems run on programming languages that are no longer taught. The number of developers who know these languages is shrinking. When the last specialist leaves the company, the system becomes a black box.
Documentation is often incomplete or missing entirely.
Software rescue creates documented, maintainable code. It reduces dependency on individual specialists.
Risk 3: Blocked Innovation
Production companies need to connect IoT sensors, MES systems, and ERP platforms. Legacy architectures cannot do this without expensive workarounds. Every new integration attempt adds complexity. Over time, the system becomes impossible to change safely.
What Software Rescue Covers in Manufacturing
Short: A rescue programme for production IT addresses three areas:
A rescue programme for production IT addresses three areas:
- Project recovery: Stalled or over-budget digitalisation projects are stabilized and restarted with a clear plan
- Code modernisation: Outdated code is refactored or migrated to maintainable languages and frameworks
- System optimisation: Performance bottlenecks are resolved and interfaces to modern systems are created
The Result: A Stable Bridge to Industry 4.0
Short: After a rescue programme, production companies have:
After a rescue programme, production companies have:
- Stable, monitored legacy systems without surprise failures
- Documented codebases that any developer can maintain
- Working interfaces to MES, ERP, and IoT platforms
- A phased migration plan with defined costs and timelines
This enables gradual investment in Industry 4.0 — without betting everything on a single big-bang replacement project.
About the Author: Björn Groenewold (Dipl.-Inf.) is Managing Director of Groenewold IT Solutions GmbH. Since 2012, he has led over 250 software projects for German Mittelstand companies.
About the author
Managing Director of Groenewold IT Solutions GmbH and Hyperspace GmbH
Since 2009 Björn Groenewold has been developing software solutions for the mid-market. He is Managing Director of Groenewold IT Solutions GmbH (founded 2012) and Hyperspace GmbH. As founder of Groenewold IT Solutions he has successfully supported more than 250 projects – from legacy modernisation to AI integration.
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