The economic situation in Germany will remain challenging for many SMEs in 2024. A shortage of skilled workers, high energy and commodity prices, geopolitical tensions and weak domestic demand are leading to an increasing number of insolvencies, particularly in the retail, construction and real estate sectors as well as in production- and energy-intensive industries. Structural changes in the companies concerned are particularly relevant in order to ensure their future viability.
With the need to introduce structural changes, the use of AI is therefore becoming increasingly relevant in the context of restructuring and reorganization concepts for (medium-sized) companies. While AI is planned, tested and used in large companies and corporations with the help of individual task forces, SMEs have so far lagged behind in the use of AI.
What was investigated?
For the first time,
1. the barriers to the use of AI and
2. the potential uses of AI
in SMEs were examined with the help of a total of 351 restructuring and reorganization consultants, managers from family offices and corporate holding companies and SME managing directors. The aim of the study was to identify the problem areas of the use of AI more precisely and to determine the efficiency drivers and potential of AI from the experts' perspective.
Acceptance of AI in the context of restructuring and reorganization concepts of medium-sized companies
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The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has so far only been considered by 11% of all respondents in the context of restructuring and reorganization concepts
- 16% of the experts surveyed can imagine the use of AI in the context of restructuring in principle
- Only 5% can imagine a comprehensive use of AI as part of the reorganization and restructuring of companies
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At just 3%, family offices and traditional corporate holding companies do not yet see any need for the use of AI in the context of corporate restructuring; the potential for use is mainly seen at the level of consultants and SME managing directors.
Know-how and access to AI as a key challenge in restructuring and reorganization concepts
The main obstacles to the use of AI in the restructuring of SMEs focus on a total of 8 central factors, which are weighted differently according to the experts.
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Know-how / Access is probably the strongest inhibiting factor at 71%. Previous reorganization and restructuring measures have focused on traditional methods of staff reduction and traditional efficiency enhancement models, without taking the possibilities of using AI into closer consideration
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Data access / availability According to the experts, at 58%, this is another obstacle that poses challenges, especially for SMEs with very traditional and non-digital value creation processes, to using AI as a central element in the restructuring of companies.
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According to the respondents, internal communication (56%) and a lack of management support (47%) are preventing the use of AI in the context of reorganization and restructuring
From a qualitative perspective, classic restructuring procedures are used specifically due to an impediment triangle consisting of a lack of know-how / access, a lack of data and a latent refusal to use AI due to a lack of communication and management support. The inevitable output from these classic restructuring processes leads to a reduction in the number of employees instead of adapting existing employees in a healthy balance of age-related redundancies and qualitative upgrading of work performance with the help of AI.
Identified areas to use AI in the context of restructuring and reorganization
With the help of expert interviews, various areas for increasing efficiency were identified and the use of AI in the context of restructuring was advocated. The following areas of action were then defined in more detail by the experts:
Product management, development, design:
AI-supported product development: By analyzing market data and customer feedback, AI can help to develop products that better meet the needs of the market.
Automated construction processes: AI can assist in the creation of engineering drawings and the evaluation of design options to speed up the development process.
Optimization of the order design: AI can help to analyze the production requirements for individual orders and adapt the design processes accordingly.
Procurement, purchasing, materials management:
Predictive analytics for procurement: AI can help predict the demand for raw materials and supplies in order to optimize procurement processes and minimize stock levels.
Automated supplier selection: AI can analyze supplier data to select the best suppliers and conduct negotiations to reduce costs and shorten delivery times.
Production, fabrication, assembly:
Predictive maintenance: AI can analyze machine data to predict downtime and optimize maintenance intervals, which reduces production downtime.
Optimization of the production processes: AI can help with the planning of production processes to avoid bottlenecks and maximize production capacity.
Sales, service, customer service:
Personalized customer approach: AI can analyze data on customer preferences and behavior to develop tailored sales and marketing strategies.
Automated service requests: AI-supported chatbots can process customer queries in customer service and solve common problems, which shortens response times and increases customer satisfaction.
Administration, central functions:
Process automation: AI can automate administrative tasks such as data entry, reporting and document management to increase efficiency in administrative areas such as finance, HR and controlling.
The areas presented here clearly show where and how AI can be used in various value creation processes to support reorganization and restructuring. By adapting AI solutions to specific changes in the business model or business activities, SMEs in particular can improve their efficiency, retain employees instead of laying them off and become more competitive overall.
Studies by BSI AI
The BSI Group is one of the leading marketing services providers in Europe. With our "House of Marketing" and 193 employees in over 26 countries, we are active for our customers worldwide and deliver marketing services from a single source. Innovative marketing approaches and measurable success have been at the heart of our integrated marketing services for over 20 years.
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