Accreditation bodies and international organizations in 15 countries and regions supported the implementation of the study.
Source: BAM
The digital transformation of the economy and the rise of digitalized, networked, and complex products and applications are also impacting conformity assessment bodies (CABs), a key pillar of quality infrastructure. Innovations, new technologies and processes dependent on conformity assessment services, while CABs themselves gain potential from modern digital technologies.
As part of its QI-FoKuS initiative, BAM conducted the first global study analyzing the status of digital transformation in conformity assessment, comparing 15 countries and regions. Based on an online survey of 1,447 CABs worldwide, the results highlight clear country differences, and thus also positioning German CABs in an international context.
The study examined drivers, benefits, and challenges of digital transformation, with a focus on measuring digital maturity. Based on existing literature and extensive interviews with industry experts, a tailored digital maturity model was developed, incorporating seven key dimensions related to organizational capabilities, resources, and technological, strategic, and cultural factors.
Our results show that the transformation process is only just beginning, with most organizations at low or intermediate digital maturity levels—Germany ranking among the lowest. The analysis also showed the correlation between technology use and digital maturity. Notably, cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, AI, and big data analytics were rarely in use at the time of the survey (2022/23), though AI adoption has likely increased since then.
As part of the QI-Digital initiative, the results also served as the starting point and basis for a further dialogue process with testing and calibration laboratories. BAM organized practical workshops, deriving support measures that are now being implemented to accelerate digital transformation in CABs. The digital maturity measurement tool developed in the study will also be made permanently available online.
Technology adoption and digital maturity in the conformity assessment industry: Empirical evidence from an international study
Luana Ladu, Claudia Koch, Parsa Asna Ashari, Knut Blind, Pavel Castka
Technology in Society, Volume 77, June 2024