For innovators, disruptors and visionaries – the Hinterland of Things Conference is the central platform for those having a real impact on the future of the German manufacturing industry. Industrial Tech will be a focus topic at this year’s conference. Partners from venture capital companies, Mittelstand companies from the region and across Germany as well as the latest promising industrial tech startups will spend a whole day exchanging knowledge, inspiring each other, making connections for the future and more.
GERMAN INDUSTRY IN TURMOIL
The shortage of skilled workers, weak demand and high energy prices in particular are causing problems for German companies. The manufacturing industry accounts for more than a quarter of Germany’s total economic output. Other countries have reinvented their industries and are rapidly following suit.
INNOVATION AS SUCCESS FACTOR
Those who miss opportunities today will pay the bill tomorrow. Innovative technologies are already determining how competitive our industry will be in the future. Time to redefine our industry. But where is the best place to start with innovation in the manufacturing industry?
INDUSTRY 4.0
More flexible, more individual and more efficient production – 91% still see Industry 4.0 as a prerequisite for maintaining the competitiveness of German industry. The digitalization of industry is also creating new business models and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) plays an important part as it uses intelligent, networked sensors, actuators and other elements to connect people, products and processes in order to drive the digital transformation in the manufacturing industry.
INDUSTRIAL TECH OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES
The following areas in industrial tech are the most focused on when thinking about improving efficiency, saving costs, being long-lasting. In all of these areas, industrial companies can benefit from offerings that startups are constantly developing.
Industrial Tech focuses on smart production and process optimization: monitoring machines in real time via sensors, analyzing huge amounts of data with AI tools and cloud solutions offer an ecosystem for the automation of processes. Examples of solutions in that area are from our exhibition startups Synera, who uses low-code to automate engineering processes while seamlessly connecting CAx tools, and Credular, who minimizes downtime in manufacturing industry with innovative knowledge documentation and visualization.
The increasing collection and processing of data in industry offers start-ups in particular the opportunity to use AI solutions for industrial processes. The figures speak for themselves: according to a recent study by the Institute of Economics, half of industrial companies already use AI tools. The average for the German economy is only 17 percent. Our exhibition startups heyData and clockin help companies to use data more efficiently – heyData provides an end-to-end solution that combines a smart GDPR management system with a compliance framework and the clockin app makes it easier for small companies to fulfill their obligation to record and document working hours.
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in industry, especially in light of current developments such as rising energy prices or the Supply Chain Act. Transparency is more important than ever to meet regulations but also to identify improvement opportunities. Our exhibition startup Tanso offers sustainability software for CO2 balancing and CSRD reporting developed for industrial companies in the SME sector and is therefor one startup that tackles this challenge of the industrial tech industry.
2024 INDUSTRIAL TECH SPEAKERS
This year we have a curated selection of industrial tech speakers. Their goal is to simplify efficiency improvements in industrial companies in order for the companies to focus on the core of their company.
LENA WEIRAUCH
Co-Founder & CEO @ ai-omatic solutions GmbH
GREGOR KOLLS
CEO @ Filics
CHRISTIAN BUCHENAU
Partner @ SquareOne
FOR WHOM INDUSTRIAL TECH OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES
Investors
Industry is currently undergoing rapid change: Industry 4.0 promises resource efficiency, competitiveness, cost-effectiveness, flexibility and safety. This development is being driven by new technologies that play a decisive role in changing value creation and the product life cycle. Other countries have long been pioneers, Germany must follow suit. There are many opportunities to invest in pioneering technologies. In our Startup Exhibition, promising industrial tech startups present their ideas and products with which they already successfully support industrial companies.
Mittelstand & Corporates
The manufacturing industry accounts for more than a quarter of Germany’s total economic output. However, production has shrunk recently. A shortage of skilled workers, weak demand and high energy prices are causing problems for companies. The need for efficiency is higher than ever. Other countries have reinvented their industries and are rapidly catching up. Whether automotive, mechanical engineering or chemicals – innovative technologies have long since determined how competitive the industry will be in the future. In our Startup Exhibition, various industrial tech startups offer innovative solutions for everyday problems in the manufacturing industry with the superior goal of improved efficiency.
Startups
Industry remains one of the most important economic sectors in our society, but is facing major challenges. Many startups are already taking advantage of the great opportunities for optimization in production, data management or other parts of the value chain. The willingness of companies to spend money on innovative solutions is also increasing. At the beginning of the year, 54% of German manufacturers stated that they wanted to increase their technology spending by 2024, which promises a growing market for industrial tech startups.
CURATED OPPORTUNITIES FOR TECH enthusiasts!
A selected menu about topics that really matter
