Whitepaper & Trend Studies May 18, 2026

The European Manufacturing Industry Must Keep the Digital Factory Under Control and Boost Efficiency

Explore the challenges and pragmatic recommendations for European mid-market manufacturers facing digital transformation. This white paper proposes an integrated approach to combine industrial AI adoption, digital sovereignty and compliance with evolving EU regulations.

The white paper examines the main forces shaping the factory of the future—industrial AI, geopolitical fragmentation, and new EU rules and explains their direct implications for the digital factory. It offers practical guidance for SMEs on prioritising initiatives, building an integrated data backbone, and managing sovereignty and regulatory obligations. A concrete vendor example, German Edge Cloud’s ONCITE Digital Production System (DPS), illustrates how an integrated, modular solution can support Vision AI, track & trace, Catena‑X integration, and sovereign cloud deployment.

Download now the full white paper (PDF)

This white paper was commissioned by German Edge Cloud