you have felt new global alliances displacing old dominant positions, and the battle for dominant future technologies is accelerating selective de-globalization

conflicts over scarce resources and volatile supply chains are forcing you to develop strategic resilience, regional diversification, and new cooperation patterns

several waves of supply chain disruption (pandemics, global conflicts, etc.) have impacted you and have highlighted the volatility of your global supply chains

targeted decoupling and the development of local production capacities for strategically important goods are leading to significant investments in the latest (automation) technology

you are impacted by accelerating multi-domain technology advances in material sciences, digitization, medtech and biology, artificial intelligence, space

cloud, edge and potentially quantum computing are constantly shift-shaping the way you need to think about your IT strategy

you are living in ever shortening Kondatriev cycles

the importance of the dollar as a global trading and reserve currency and of SWIFT as a central payment platform is eroding

emerging nations and alliances are establishing new trading alliances and payment systems

blockchain is replacing the need for centralized trust authorities (banks)

you notice that changing values ​​are shaping all customer generations

ownership is taking a back seat, "renting instead of buying" is dominating, and traditional brands are losing authority

ethics, sustainability, and health & well-being are becoming key purchasing criteria – social media is transforming from a branding channel to a lead generator and integrated e-commerce

your perspective on China is rapidly changing

what used to be a supplier and a potential market is becoming a dominant competitor

the world's largest manufacturing hub is pushing toward forward integration

already a master in manufacturing engineering and increasingly in all key product technologies China is gaining global recognition as a technology giant

From securing complete supply chains through strategic alliances (including with Africa), to materials engineering, energy and transportation technology (cars, aircraft, ships), to semiconductors and AI, Chinese brands are becoming fierce competitors even in the premium segment (Huawei, BYD, Comac, Deepseek, etc.)

the world is shifting under your feet

the former western “northstar”, the USA is fading while the BRICS are rising in importance

inflation is forcing central banks to make abrupt monetary policy shifts, while high government debt and expansive fiscal policy are putting pressure on traditional capital markets

at the same time, a continuing venture capital and technology investment boom is fueling new valuation levels, which are finding additional liquidity through digital payment systems and cryptocurrencies

you see the rise of the next, the fourth pillar of infrastructure: ai

widely available and constantly improving large language models have triggered an avalanche of new commercially viable application areas

from content generation for (social) media to increased efficiency in software development to the automation of business processes, especially in sales and customer service

you can not avoid the implications of climate change and the energy transformation on your business

from considering your own businesses externalities for regulatory requirements and profitabilty impacts to evaluating risks to your business continuity by increasingly violent climate events

stricter esg reporting requirements make environmental and social externalities visible – non-compliance jeopardizes financing and market access

esg-based risks, from supply chain disruptions to reputational damage, are therefore becoming the core of proactive business continuity management

industry-specific regulations prescribe detailed standards, and regional regulations create a mosaic of diverging requirements

ageing population and silver economy, declining birth rates in the West and East with simultaneous growth in the Center and South

rapid urbanization and the fragmentation of traditional family structures are fundamentally shifting demand, labor supply and welfare models

enormous advances in AI-based control technology and increasingly compact and powerful drives for robots and drones are breaking through old application boundaries

more and more "dark factories" and more and more autonomous vehicles and drones are increasing productivity across the entire value chain, from raw material mining to drones delivering packages

this opens up new productivity and business model opportunites for your business

global tensions and shifting alliances are revitalizing the defense industry

significant investments are flowing into both traditional defense technologies and innovations based on the latest technology - AI and drones, providing new potential business opportunities for your business

future conflicts will be fought simultaneously in multiple arenas: land, sea, air, space, cyberspace, and social media

increasing tensions between formerly alligned countries lead to a rise in the desire for data sovereignty
legally required data privacy creates challenges and opportunities in data hosting and computing space including ai capacity