Business Chief Europe Magazine February 2021 | Page 25

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“ And that ’ s why we are talking about introducing digital . Digitisation does not just affect signaling , we ’ re talking about IoT sensors e . g . at switches to help monitor and maintain tracks – which will also ultimately reduce costs .”

While Grothe has propelled procurement at Deutsche Bahn along its digital transformation path , he admits that the pace of change within the industry , and slow uptake of digital , has been a hindrance – with some of their suppliers even struggling with basics such as email .

The railway industry does have a reputation for being slow on the uptake when it comes to digitization compared to some other industries , and that is partly down to safety concerns . However , suppliers have also proved slow at moving with the times .

“ When we digitized the interface to the suppliers , a significant number of companies were actually not able to access the platforms or auctions ,” he says . “ Three per cent said they weren ’ t able to work with emails ! I couldn ’ t believe it .”

Branding himself as an eternal optimist , Grothe focuses on the positive

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