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Manufacturing doesn’t have a hype problem — it has a complexity problem. Production schedules with thousands of constraints. Supply chains that shift overnight. Shopfloor data that sits in silos. Technical drawings reviewed by hand. These are the daily realities for mid-sized manufacturers across Europe, and they’re exactly the kind of challenges that artificial intelligence was built to solve.
On June 18, 2026, the Hinterland of Things Conference returns to Bielefeld for its 8th edition, bringing together up to 100 of Europe’s strongest B2B tech startups with the decision-makers of Germany’s industrial Mittelstand. Among the exhibition’s key themes this year: Industrial Tech — specifically, the wave of AI-native startups rethinking how factories plan, produce, and ensure quality.
Here are four exhibition startups that showcase how deep the Industrial AI revolution already runs.
For process manufacturers — think chemicals, food & beverage, or pharmaceuticals — production planning is a high-stakes puzzle. Recipes change, batch sizes fluctuate, and regulatory requirements add layers of complexity that off-the-shelf ERP modules were never designed to handle.
akeno is building an autonomous production planning platform purpose-built for these environments. Rather than simply assisting human planners, akeno’s approach aims to generate optimized production plans autonomously, factoring in the unique constraints of process manufacturing from the ground up. The result: less manual rescheduling, fewer bottlenecks, and planning cycles that keep pace with real-world volatility.
For manufacturers still relying on spreadsheets and tribal knowledge to manage their production schedules, akeno represents a fundamental shift in what’s possible.
While many AI startups are racing to ship their first model, OMMM brings something rare to the table: a planning algorithm built on 25 years of cutting-edge research and over 10,000 developer days. The Bielefeld-based company delivers AI-driven production and supply chain planning that gives planners something they’ve never truly had — full control over a process too complex for human intelligence alone.
OMMM’s planning suite consists of four modular components that can be deployed independently or as a complete system, covering everything from strategic supply chain decisions to day-to-day operational scheduling. The platform integrates seamlessly into existing IT landscapes — cloud or on-premise — without claiming a data-leading role. For SAP environments, OMMM is certified and ready for both SAP R/3 and S/4HANA.
In an industry where a single planning error can cascade into millions in lost revenue, OMMM’s depth of research and enterprise-grade integration make it a standout.
There’s a persistent myth in manufacturing: AI is only for the big players. Ailio, based right here in Bielefeld, is on a mission to prove that wrong. The company positions itself as a strategic partner for artificial intelligence and process automation in industrial settings, with a clear philosophy: AI should be the backbone of every forward-thinking mid-sized manufacturer, not a privilege reserved for tech giants.
Ailio’s team combines deep technical expertise with a pragmatic understanding of real-world business processes. Their focus lies on unlocking the value of shopfloor and enterprise data to enable concrete Industrial AI use cases — from predictive maintenance and process optimization to intelligent automation. For Mittelstand companies that know they need to digitize but aren’t sure where to start, Ailio bridges the gap between ambition and implementation.
Technical drawings are the lingua franca of manufacturing. They define what gets built, to what tolerances, and how quality is verified. Yet for decades, the interpretation and documentation of these drawings has remained stubbornly manual — until now.
CERPRO has developed QualiSpec, one of the most advanced AI models for recognizing and interpreting technical drawings. The software automates inspection and documentation workflows and creates a unified data foundation that connects OEMs and suppliers. Already trusted by more than 100 companies across five European countries, CERPRO is particularly strong in industries with the highest quality requirements: aerospace, medical devices, and mechanical engineering.
In a world where a single misread tolerance can ground an aircraft or delay a medical device approval, CERPRO’s AI isn’t just convenient — it’s critical.
These four startups represent more than individual success stories. Together, they illustrate a broader shift: AI is no longer knocking on the factory door — it’s already on the shopfloor. From autonomous planning (akeno, OMMM) to data-driven process intelligence (Ailio) and automated quality workflows (CERPRO), the entire manufacturing value chain is being reimagined by a new generation of B2B startups.
And that’s precisely what makes the Hinterland of Things Conference the right stage for these companies. The event is purpose-built to connect innovative startups with the c-level decision-makers of Germany’s industrial champions — the exact audience that stands to gain the most from Industrial AI.
The Hinterland of Things Conference takes place on June 18, 2026, at the Stadthalle Bielefeld. Whether you’re a manufacturer looking for your next technology partner or an investor searching for the next wave of Industrial Tech, this is where the deals happen.
