Digital Machine File with Edge Device and Equipment Cloud

Hello dear friends of IoT. Today we take a real look into project practice and how IoT is implemented, including challenges and solutions. For this episode I invited a leading high tech company in materials and measurement technology. They are active in mechanical engineering, have more than 1,000 employees worldwide and the company is called PVA, an international organisation based in Wettenberg in the German state of Hesse. Today we want to understand what exactly they are doing with IoT, which vision they follow and which use cases they are implementing for themselves and for their customers. We also talk about how machine data integration succeeds and how they built their own IoT data platform.
Answering these questions today are Stefan Köhler, Manager Business Development, and Thorsten Hardt, Technical Service Team Lead at PVA. Also joining us is their IoT partner Kontron AIS, represented today by Martin Falsner. He supports PVA and many other customers in real world projects.
You can find all information about similar implementations and project insights in the show notes or at www.iotusecase.com. Enjoy the episode.

Great to have you all here. I will start right away. Stefan, how are you today and where are you joining us from?

Stefan

Hello! I am doing well. I had a week of vacation and spent the late summer in Italy. After that I was on a business trip in Vienna and I am looking forward to this podcast. Right now you reach me working remotely. I was at the office this morning but wanted to be in a calm place to answer your questions and hopefully share some useful information.

I have to ask briefly. As mentioned in the intro, you are based in Wettenberg in Hesse. For everyone who does not know the region, where exactly is that?

Stefan

Many people might know the university city of Giessen, located about 60 kilometres north of Frankfurt. Wettenberg is close to the main east west highway crossing. Many people have most likely waited at the traffic light there. It is only six kilometres away from Giessen.

Perfect, greetings to the region. Thorsten, how are you and where are you joining us from?

Thorsten

Hello from my side as well and thank you very much for the invitation. I am also working remotely today. I am at home. During the past weeks I travelled a lot, including China, Finland and other countries so I am happy to spend this week at home. I am glad to join this session. Normally we work together at the site in Wettenberg where our headquarters is located. We also have several service hubs and additional locations worldwide. Remote work is well integrated in our organisation and widely used.

Yes, absolutely. I can imagine that you spend a lot of time travelling in service, especially with international customers. That fits very well. Very nice. And last but not least, Martin, hi to you as well. Nice to have you here. Where are you joining us from?

Martin

Hello everyone. I am in Dresden at our headquarters. I just returned from a trade fair week. I was at the All About Automation in Chemnitz, which was pretty much a home match for me. Last week I also had several customer visits. It was very interesting again to gain insights into different shop floors. What are our customers doing and what do potential users want to implement? There is currently a lot of movement in the market. Very exciting.

Great. Then let us jump directly into your project and take a look at what exactly you are doing. Stefan, I will start with you. You have been with PVA for more than 29 years, more precisely at the subsidiary PVA Industrial Vacuum Systems GmbH.
Your background is in systems programming. You introduced early control systems and for 18 years you were head of the electrical design department. Since 2021 you have been working in Business Development. What makes your job exciting and why do you enjoy it so much?

Stefan

I find it exciting to see how things can continue to be optimised in a high tech environment and how we can move closer to our customers. In the past I programmed systems myself and afterwards I worked for 18 years as head of electrical design. During that time we introduced the first HMI systems. Back then, with solid technical understanding, we learned how to build networks, which today would probably no longer be possible in the same way due to regulations. I am interested in how things evolve and how work can be shaped so that it provides real benefit for customers. Digitalisation may be a somewhat overused term, but in the end we all need data to optimise processes and systems for our customers. Our customers also need data to improve their own process structures and workflows. I find it fascinating how you can turn simple ones and zeros into something visual that is understandable and creates real value. That is what motivates me.
My role is not classic business development in the sense of direct customer engagement. My first assignment was to clean up our internal infrastructure in the field of digitalisation so that we can later generate value from our engineering documents and activities. It is exciting to actively shape this transformation from an analogue to a digital world.

Very nice. You are part of a corporate group, an international stock listed organisation, and you develop solutions in the field of high precision material production, refinement and processing. Can you briefly explain what you produce and who your current customers are?

Stefan

Our field is quite broad because we now have several subsidiaries, each with its own portfolio of systems. In my unit, Industrial Vacuum Systems, we develop special high vacuum and heat treatment systems. These are used for brazing and joining processes, meaning everywhere materials are joined together in one single process step. Typical application examples can be found in medical technology, where ceramics are joined with high purity metal that later becomes an artificial joint used inside the human body. We also supply customers active in the field of vacuum interrupters or switching chambers, where high currents must be safely switched off. In the past, this was done with old sand fuses that had to be pulled manually, but today this happens inside small vacuum interrupters. These kinds of components are typically produced in our plants. Thorsten again has a slightly different perspective on that.

Okay, so we are talking about very large plants. I assume we are dealing with temperatures above 800 degrees.

Stefan

Looking at the process parameters, our core expertise lies in vacuum and high vacuum. That is a key point for us. We build plants that achieve a high vacuum level better than 1 × 10⁻⁸ millibar, just to give you an idea of the magnitude. We also develop pressurised sintering plants for carbide production, which can reach up to 200 bar overpressure during processing. In terms of temperature, 800 degrees would be considered relatively low for us. Our plants typically operate between 1200 and 2000 degrees. We use both inert gases and combustible gases such as hydrogen to optimise process conditions. So it is a very demanding and broad application field that requires deep technical expertise.

Yes, absolutely. Thorsten, you already mentioned it, you are working in the service area. You have been with the subsidiary for about ten years, although with a different one than Stefan, namely PVA Crystal Growing Systems GmbH. You started as a design engineer and have now been Head of Service for two and a half years. I would like to learn more about your service organisation. Can you describe how your service unit works? Do you support the full lifecycle of your plants?

Thorsten

Yes, I took over the service department two and a half years ago. I experienced a situation similar to Stefan, which is why we quickly had many touchpoints. We realised that we urgently needed to push our internal processes and digitalisation, because we were still operating in a rather traditional way. Many things were handled via Excel, everyone had their own spreadsheets and their own individual knowledge. We understood that we needed a solution to create transparency and secure know how, especially from experienced colleagues who will retire in the coming years. That was the starting point. I said that we must further develop service internally, improve processes and respond faster to customer requests. Everything should become more transparent so that we can work more efficiently.
This also led to our contact with Kontron AIS. We already had an internal system available, but it was barely used. I reactivated it specifically for our subsidiary. Since then, we have made major progress, especially regarding maintenance plans, the ticket system, internal communication and workflows. Of course, not everything is perfect yet, but we are on a very good path. For us, this was an important step forward.

And Martin, how long have you known each other? How long have you been working together, and how important is this project for your collaboration?

Martin

I joined Kontron AIS five years ago and originally come from the machinery and plant engineering sector, specifically special purpose machinery and vacuum technology, so from an environment very similar to that of PVA. They were actually one of the first customers I came into contact with. There had already been initial discussions beforehand, and then suddenly everything had to move very quickly. From the beginning, we also connected well on a personal level, which is very important to me. Only then can trust and an honest working relationship grow. Together, we looked at the first use cases. Stefan and Thorsten were enthusiastic right from the start and pushed the topic forward. As a result, we managed to reach the so called critical mass within the company, meaning the point where acceptance starts to form.

When you talk about use cases you looked at together, can you describe in more detail what they were and what the main objective of this project was?

Martin

The first contact person I worked with back then was Til Stoermer, a colleague of the two. His task was to consolidate and unify the existing tools and software solutions across the subsidiaries. At that time, there were around seventeen, today it is already around twenty one. The goal was to build a shared customer portal where information would be available both for end customers and internally. That was the original objective. With the functions we provide at Kontron AIS, the platform can of course also be used internally. As Thorsten described, the ticket system is used internally, and at the same time all regulatory requirements that apply today are fulfilled, especially regarding the documentation of the entire machine lifecycle. That was the initial idea: to collect all relevant information in a structured way and make it centrally accessible.

Okay, so there was an internal project focused on modernising IT tools and dissolving isolated solutions. At the same time, there also seems to be an external project. Could you describe the goal of today’s project with Kontron AIS and the vision you have for your customers?

Stefan

Our challenge was not only to gain better access to data ourselves and optimise our plants, but also to give our customers a complete overview of their machinery. They need to know which consumption values a plant has, whether a furnace run was completed properly, when the next run can start or which energy, water and gas consumption levels are involved.
The first subproject in my area was about how we could provide standardised data for our customers within their IT infrastructure. Many of our customers already use their own MES environments where they analyse their entire process chain. Our task was to integrate our plants into that chain seamlessly. To achieve this, we worked with Kontron AIS and defined suitable hardware, a so called edge device.
Naturally, we had to consider all security requirements that such a device brings with it: update cycles, requirements from the Machinery Directive or the future Machinery Regulation, as well as specifications from the Cybersecurity Act. Together we developed the OPC UA for Machinery interface model for our plants, allowing us to provide our machine data in an OPC-UA compliant way at a central interface.
The major advantage is that this solution applies not only to my business unit but can be used across the entire group. PVA Crystal Growing Systems and other subsidiaries can also use this standardised hardware and the machine model to provide their data in OPC-UA format. Customers can then map this data directly into their own MES environment within their infrastructure.

Okay, das heißt, das eine ist die Datenbereitstellung von den Anlagen bei euren Kunden. Und Thorsten, was umfasst dann der zweite Teil des Projekts genau?
Thorsten
Für uns war es wichtig, wie schon erwähnt, dass wir als Unternehmensgruppe mit vielen GmbHs weltweit – in Asien, Amerika und Europa – eine gemeinsame Kommunikationsbasis schaffen. Ziel war, eine zentrale Datenplattform aufzubauen, auf die alle schnell zugreifen können, damit Servicetechniker und Mitarbeitende im Fall von Störungen oder Anfragen sofort reagieren können.
Anfangs war es so, dass jede Gesellschaft ihr eigenes System hatte. Bei uns in der CGS war es Kontron, bei der IVS ein anderer Anbieter. Inzwischen wurde entschieden, dass es künftig einen globalen Anbieter geben wird, über den die gesamte PVA intern kommuniziert. Dieses System wird jetzt schrittweise weltweit ausgerollt. Dabei werden die besten Elemente aus den bestehenden Lösungen übernommen, so wie Stefan es eben beschrieben hat, damit alle Bereiche davon profitieren.
Ich selbst hatte dabei zunächst den Fokus auf interne Themen – also die Digitalisierung unserer Kommunikation, klare Strukturen, eine saubere Organisation und perspektivisch eine digitale Serviceplattform, die auch für Kunden genutzt werden kann. Dabei geht es auch um technische Weiterentwicklungen, etwa KI-gestützte Systeme oder automatisierte Abläufe. Es gibt viele Ideen.
Wir haben uns darauf geeinigt, dass ich mich zunächst um die internen Aspekte kümmere und Stefan den externen Part übernimmt, also die Kundenkommunikation und Datenintegration. So greifen wir das Projekt von beiden Seiten an und wollen uns in der Mitte treffen, um es gemeinsam abzuschließen. Natürlich sind wir nicht allein – es sind viele Kolleginnen und Kollegen im Unternehmen beteiligt, denn ein Projekt dieser Größe kann man nicht zu zweit stemmen. Dafür bin ich auch sehr dankbar.
Ja, das ist wirklich ein riesiges Projekt. Nur kurz zur Einordnung: Wenn du CGS sagst, meinst du die Crystal Growing Systems, also die Tochtergesellschaft, bei der du arbeitest. Nur zur Klarstellung für alle, die mit den Abkürzungen nicht so vertraut sind.
Thorsten
Genau.
Stefan
Vielleicht kann man das noch etwas ergänzen, Madeleine. Thorsten hat es nicht direkt benannt, aber Martin hatte es vorhin schon kurz erwähnt. Wir sprechen hier von einem sogenannten Kundenportal – unabhängig davon, welchen Namen es am Ende trägt. Bei Kontron heißt diese Lösung Equipment Cloud. Ich bringe das einfach mal ins Spiel, damit man besser versteht, worum es geht.
Die Equipment Cloud ist ein Tool, mit dem man Maschinenstammdaten verwalten, Dokumentationen hinterlegen und Wartungspläne abbilden kann, die gemeinsam mit dem Kunden abgestimmt werden. Darüber hinaus können Dateien ausgetauscht werden. Das ist also die Plattform, über die wir intern miteinander, aber auch mit unseren Kunden interagieren.
Wie wir beide Seiten künftig zusammenführen, verrate ich an dieser Stelle noch nicht, sonst nehme ich ein bisschen die Spannung für die Zukunft.
Wichtig für die Zuhörer ist: Wir arbeiten einerseits direkt an der Maschine mit Live-Daten und überlegen, wie wir diese effizient auslesen können. Andererseits nutzen wir die Equipment Cloud als Plattform, um mit dem Kunden zu kommunizieren und eine engere Kundenbindung zu schaffen. Thorsten, what exactly does the second part of the project include?

Thorsten

For us, it was important to establish a shared communication foundation across the entire group, as we have many subsidiaries worldwide in Asia, the United States and Europe. The goal was to build a central data platform that everyone can access quickly, so that service technicians and employees can respond immediately in case of issues or customer inquiries.
In the beginning, each subsidiary used its own system. At our CGS unit, it was Kontron, while IVS used another provider. A few months ago, it was decided that there will be one global provider in the future, through which the entire PVA group will communicate internally. This system is now being rolled out worldwide. The best elements from the existing solutions will be carried over, just as Stefan described, so that all parts of the organisation benefit.
My initial focus was on internal aspects, such as digitalising our communication, establishing clear structures, improving organisation, and eventually creating a digital service platform that customers can also use. This includes technical advancements as well, for example AI supported systems or automated workflows. There are many ideas.
We agreed that I would handle the internal topics first, while Stefan would take the external part, meaning customer communication and data integration. So we are approaching the project from both sides and aim to meet in the middle to complete it together. Of course, we are not doing this alone. Many colleagues across the company are involved, because a project of this size cannot be managed by just two people. I am very grateful for that support.

Yes, it really is a huge project. Just for context: when you say CGS, you mean Crystal Growing Systems, the subsidiary you work for. That is just to clarify for those who may not be familiar with the abbreviations.

Thorsten

Exactly.

Stefan

Maybe I can add something to that, Madeleine. Thorsten did not explicitly mention it, but Martin briefly touched on it earlier. We are talking about what we call a customer portal, regardless of the final name. At Kontron, this solution is called Equipment Cloud. I will just bring that into the discussion to make it clearer.
The Equipment Cloud is a tool for managing machine master data, storing documentation and listing maintenance plans that are agreed together with the customer. Users can also upload and exchange files. In other words, it is the platform we use internally to collaborate, but also the one through which we interact with our customers.
How we will merge both sides in the future is something I will not reveal just yet, otherwise I would take away a bit of the suspense.
What is important for listeners to understand is this: on the one hand, we work directly at the machine with live data and consider how we can extract it efficiently. On the other hand, we use the Equipment Cloud as a platform to communicate with the customer and to create a closer customer relationship.

[17:45] Challenges, potentials and status quo – This is what the use case looks like in practice

What were the biggest challenges you faced at the beginning of the project? Was it mainly a change management issue, an IT topic or something else? What technical hurdles did you need to overcome to implement such a project?

Thorsten

The technical challenges naturally arise whenever you introduce a new system. You essentially start from zero and first need to build a functioning knowledge base. Then you have to motivate all employees to actually use the new tool consistently. That is a challenge every company is familiar with.
We integrated a new ticketing system in which all master data is maintained, meaning every machine installed worldwide at our customers’ sites. We also imported all existing emails and documents to create a kind of digital machine logbook. This allows us to track which issues or problems occurred in the past.
The next step, as Stefan already mentioned, was to bring maintenance topics to our customers quickly and in a structured way. For this, we chose a pragmatic solution and worked closely with Kontron. We created maintenance plans for all our machines and fully digitalised them. The checklists were also stored digitally in our portal. Then we approached our customers directly and said: “Take a look at this. We can handle maintenance for you. You receive everything in digital form, and we provide the personnel and support.”
This strengthened our collaboration with customers. Based on our experience, we were able to estimate the lifetime of wear and spare parts and define maintenance intervals to ensure the machines run reliably. This was a major step, and of course it did not happen overnight.
Today, we work entirely with this system internally. All service activities are recorded in the corresponding tickets. Each ticket is assigned to a specific machine, including customer, serial number and component. This ensures clear and structured traceability.
The whole process is transparent. We no longer need to call customers every day or send emails to update them on the current status. The customer sees everything in real time, including open quotes or delivery statuses.

Yes, that is great. It strengthens trust and customer loyalty and at the same time brings enormous time savings when implemented consistently. If I understood you correctly, one of the key points was acceptance and change management, meaning getting internal users on board first, and then involving customers in the next step.
Many in our community say that data sharing and data access are major challenges. You want to share certain data, but not open everything. Stefan, from your perspective, what are the most important customer requirements regarding data integration? And what challenges did you face – or do you still face – when working with your customers? It is an ongoing topic.

Stefan

This is definitely an ongoing topic. The biggest challenge for us as a machine and plant manufacturer is that we would, of course, also like to benefit from machine data. When you talk about preventive or predictive maintenance, it only works if you really know the machine well. On the other hand, customers usually want to keep their process-relevant data to themselves, which is entirely understandable. We are not interested in the customer’s specific process. What matters to us is recognising whether, for example, a certain component is failing simultaneously at multiple customers – meaning there might be a systematic issue.
It is essentially a balancing act. We need to identify which data is uncritical enough for us to use so that we can derive insights from it. At the same time, customers want to keep all machine data and process it locally within their own infrastructure. The first requirement was therefore usually: ‘Give us the data locally, PVA does not interest us at this point.’
That is why we started with so-called passive data. We provide customers with operating instructions, documentation, maintenance, and inspection plans on our cloud-based platform. But there are no live machine data streams there, only passive information. This allowed us to overcome the initial hurdle and build trust. Even if someone were to gain unauthorised access to these documents, no conclusions about the production process could be drawn.

Yes, very good. If you are listening and thinking you face similar challenges, many companies in machinery and equipment manufacturing experience exactly this in practice. I will link all three of your contacts in the show notes, including LinkedIn. That way listeners can reach out and exchange ideas. We also have our own community where people can share experiences and discuss questions.
Now let me turn back to you, Martin. You work with many different customers, so you must encounter this topic frequently. Can you describe your perspective and explain how this connects to regulations like the EU Data Act? Manufacturers will soon be required to provide access to certain data. How do you see this, and do you encounter the same challenges with other customers?

Martin

Our products are used in both worlds, so I see the challenges from both perspectives. When I started in this field five years ago, everyone was talking about monitoring. Then predictive maintenance became the big buzzword. Everyone was searching for the ultimate use case. And by now, I would say, reality has arrived.
Today, I am often happy if a company is able to provide clean master data or make documents available in a structured way through a portal. In many cases, that is the real progress. Everything starts with good data.
I still remember our user meetup in Dresden, where I gave a talk on the new Machinery Regulation. There were quite a few managing directors sitting in the audience with very serious faces. Many did not expect so many changes. Around twenty percent of the new regulation actually differs from the previous directive – including topics like AI, data availability and cybersecurity.
Since then, I find that discussions with customers are less about products and much more about EU regulations. I sometimes feel like a mediator or guide helping companies navigate through all this. Many know they need to take action, but they simply do not have the resources to dig into all the details.
We support our customers step by step: setting up clean master data, launching pilot projects, then gradually mapping the entire machine lifecycle digitally. This also includes the Software Bill of Materials – managing software versions securely in the field and on IoT devices. For this, we have developed solutions with secure operating systems on the devices.
As Stefan said, taking things one step at a time is crucial. In the end, both sides benefit – manufacturers and operators. And what I increasingly see is that machine builders and plant operators work much more collaboratively today than in the past. This new form of partnership is, to me, one of the most positive developments in recent years.

I will add the link to the EU Commission’s primary source in the show notes so that listeners can look up the topic directly. And of course, anyone with questions can reach out to Martin.

[26:23] Solutions, offerings and services – A look at the technologies used

You mentioned earlier that you are currently implementing the Equipment Cloud as your customer portal. What exactly does the solution include and what components are you using? Are you also working with IoT gateways or modules from Kontron, or is it limited to the Equipment Cloud itself?

Stefan

We source the IoT gateways directly ourselves. At the moment we are using the Carbox A150 EKL. That is the hardware we selected. For each machine we collect and transmit around 250 data points via this device.
We made a very conscious decision for this hardware to reduce the variety of devices within our company. For smaller systems it might be slightly overdimensioned, but it fits our largest machines as well. Since we work with Docker technology and require specific Docker files for our machine model, we said that we would standardize everything on a single hardware platform.
In short, yes, we use edge devices from Kontron AIS and very deliberately rely on only one device type.

Okay, so that means you also handle the IoT data orchestration, collect the data and can route it to different systems. As the central system you use the IoT platform as a software solution or customer portal. That is your central platform for maintenance, documentation and all service topics. So that is the second part?

Stefan

Exactly, that is the second part. In the long run our goal is to fully connect both systems. That would give us a complete lifecycle record of the machine and a seamless information flow. Our service technicians could react directly to error messages and analyse process sequences together with the customer. Of course this involves user and access rights management that controls who can see which data. This is self evident in the digital world.

Okay. And Martin, how exactly does this work in the Equipment Cloud? If I imagine it based on what you mentioned earlier, for example the gas consumption values that a machine generates as process parameters. So the hardware captures this data point, like the gas consumption of the last hour or week, and sends it onward. The customer decides which data is relevant. How does it then work on the Equipment Cloud side? How are these data points integrated and how can you use them to detect failure patterns or correlations?

Martin

It is an exciting topic because it creates genuine bidirectional connectivity. Regarding the data itself, in many cases one or two non critical signals are completely sufficient. This might be an alarm message or a standby message. Even that alone is enough for Stefan to know that, for example, a vacuum pump will soon need to be replaced. With these minimal data points you can already have a meaningful dialogue with the customer without exposing any sensitive process information.
For the end customer this means that they see all relevant information in their portal, including process data, throughput and downtime. When Stefan logs in, the integrated rights management only shows him the data that has been approved for him, such as machine status or specific service messages.

So these are very different types of use cases. Do you have an idea of how many use cases there could be in total?

Stefan

I think it is difficult to name an exact number. In the final expansion stage it is almost unlimited. For now we are simply happy if we successfully implement the four use cases we have defined for ourselves. Of course, we already have more ideas up our sleeves, but at the moment we are concentrating on the basics.
Right now we actively approach our customers and conduct what we call Tech Talks. There we present exactly what we are talking about today in the podcast, meaning the edge device and the customer portal. The goal is to get direct feedback from the field. We do not want to define in advance what the fifth or sixth use case will be. Much more important is to gather our customers’ input and understand where the solution really helps them. Because in the end we are not doing this for its own sake but to create real value.
Very exciting ideas come out of this. One example is the request for an interactive spare parts catalogue. Our systems are designed using 3D tools, specifically PTC Windchill PDM, a comprehensive engineering database. Many customers say, “We soon won’t have employees who know how to read BOMs or technical drawings.” They want to navigate through a 3D model in a portal, click on a defective part and automatically add it to a shopping cart which is then sent to us as a ticket.
Other customers say, “I don’t want to scroll through a 3D model at all.” That is why we are currently working on an augmented reality project. You can point your phone at the machine, the system recognises the component based on its geometry and highlights it directly in the portal.
As you can see, the potential is enormous. But we have learned not to take on too much at once. We focus first on the core use cases that bring the greatest benefit to our customers. Once those are running reliably, we continue developing the system together with them.

Thorsten

Exactly, and that is also why we are currently visiting all of our customers. It is extremely important to be on site in person, to discuss the current status, but also to show what we as PVA can already provide today. Many customers are not aware of it because some information may only appear on our website or was once communicated via a sales channel but never really reached them.

Fantastic, you can send them this podcast right away. They can listen on their way to work. Jokes aside, I find the topic of use cases incredibly interesting. I work with these topics every day and I see how many real world examples already exist that deliver real business impact. Customers are willing to invest in this, and strong partnerships emerge from it.

Stefan

One more point came to mind before we wrap up. A key reason why we chose exactly this combination, meaning the edge device and the Equipment Cloud, is the end to end certification. The cloud based data is stored at Oracle’s data centre in Frankfurt, and the entire path—from our machine through the edge device, through the Equipment Cloud all the way to data storage—is certified.
It was important to us that not only individual components are certified but the entire data chain up to the final storage location. Together with our partner we deliberately chose this fully audited infrastructure.

[33:44] Transferability, scaling and next steps – Here’s how you can use this use case

Martin, my question for you: What will happen in the next two to three years? What is your future vision at Kontron AIS?

Martin

Right now we are offering an IoT ManagedEdge Bundle promotion. The entry point is intentionally low threshold because we want to guide our customers step by step. We usually start with a single system integration and then develop the entire setup together. We clearly see that the topic of the digital twin is becoming increasingly important.
Another central point is artificial intelligence. In the future this will no longer be optional but a must have that will be deeply embedded in our products. And as much as we talk about technology, the most important thing in the end remains customer loyalty and collaboration.

Very nice. Thank you for this closing statement. I also believe that there is much more to come. Maybe we will speak again in a later episode and talk about the progress of your project. That would be exciting. Thank you very much for joining today. I am happy to give you the final word.

Thorsten

Then I would like to say thank you in advance. If any questions come up or someone wants to exchange ideas, just reach out. We are always open to feedback and happy to support wherever we can.

Stefan

I also have a small vision I hope that we will succeed, together with our customers and cooperation partners, in truly making this digital and data driven working world a reality.

Martin

Madeleine, thank you for the opportunity to record another great podcast and to further drive the topic of digitalization. I am convinced that regulations, as demanding as they may be, are also an opportunity, just like digitalization itself. Stefan and Thorsten, thank you as well for your trust. I am very much looking forward to the next projects with you.

Very nice. Thank you from my side as well and have a great rest of the week, everyone. And now I have to share your quote, Stefan: “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” A quote from Steve Jobs – and a perfect closing remark for today. Take care and have a great week. Bye. Bye.

Stefan

Thanks, bye!

Martin

Bye!