Good practice:

Industry 4.0 supplier database

In Hungary the market of Industry 4.0 solution providers is fragmented with constrained visibility, and there is a lack of trust between suppliers and potential buyers. It has been difficult to gather and compare the scope of services that are offered by solutions providers. Overall, it has taken too much effort to search for trusted Hungarian suppliers.
A central Industry 4.0 supplier database has been initiated by ICT Association of Hungary (the leading digital business association) to facilitate the matchmaking between potential buyers and Industry 4.0 solution providers. Services, products, competences of Industry 4.0 solution providers are filled in a structured database that becomes accessible to potential buyers through a web-portal. ICT Hungary has a crucial role in setting up and maintaining the service through its role as a “trusted filter” as they provide quality assurance that I4.0 suppliers entered in the database provide quality services at market prices.
ICT-H (the No. 1. business association of the digital economy in Hungary) together with IFKA NLtd (a state owned company) set up and maintain the database. They also provide promotion of the database to their 400+ SME members and beyond. The tool is endorsed by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Innovation and Technology as concerned policy maker. Main target group of the database is manufacturing SMEs.

Setup and launch of database incurred approx. EUR 300,000 including the launch of the related web portal. Annual maintenance of the tool is calculated at EUR 30,000.

The database includes close to 100 suppliers in 8 sectors and it is continuously expanding. The database is planned to be used as a “white list of digital suppliers” in future calls for proposals for SMEs.

A critical mass of suppliers and services is needed at the launch of the practice that requires targeted promotion and clear arguments for suppliers so that they want to become part of the database

The use of the database is free of charge both for suppliers and buyers, but registration is needed for interested buyers. Suppliers go through a quality check before they become part of the database. The database is enriched by additional information and case studies provided by suppliers to give a good understanding of their service portfolio. The portal provides necessary information for the registered SMEs in two phases. First, at the information assessment phase SMEs can have a comprehensive market overview. Later, before starting the purchasing process they will be able to compare the best digital solutions. This way the database can mitigate the potential risks of the investments and ensure better understanding for both parties.