INCREASING KNOWLEDGE TOGETHER

Germany’s strength as a scientific location is undisputed. Research facilities, institutes and laboratories full of thousands of scientists are working on the foundations, components and systems, some of which will become important building blocks in the industrial value chain. Researchers go deep into the details because they want to know everything precisely. They have this in common with companies that are specialists in a particular niche of the market – like the many hidden champions in the INDUS Group. In a fast-paced market, they have to develop a good feel for the trends and “take the temperature” of the market at exactly the right time. This is where the right network comes in. External scientific and research partners bring the latest research into the portfolio companies and act as a catalyst for the companies. A perfect match.

Digitalization is not a new topic for the portfolio companies, but it has many dimensions and is highly dynamic. Accordingly, companies have to constantly keep their eye on what’s trending. Which digital trend is important and why? How should it be prioritized? How much will it cost to implement and what are the benefits? INDUS helps Group companies to answer these questions with the Digital Potential Map: In collaboration with WDP consulting firm, six chosen portfolio companies collected and prioritized their digital initiatives and combined them into a digitalization strategy in 2023.
SUSTA[IN] #3 2023, p. 15

The INDUS artificial intelligence funding program is entering into the next digitalization phase – the application possibilities of AI in an industrial context are rising exponentially. Many things that have long only been possible for a human to carry out will be supported or performed by software that can “think” in the future. At the first specialist topic day, organized with the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Automation (IPA), the portfolio companies gained an overview of the state of the technology in October 2022 – and derived potential starting points for their companies. SUSTA[IN] #3 2023, p.18 Due to the enormous potential of AI, INDUS launched an extensive AI initiative after the event. One building block of this AI support program is a customized training package, consisting of:

• A training course for managers: Introduction to Data Science at TUM’s AI Lab
• A training course for implementers and drivers: compact AI course with Fraunhofer IAIS which introduces participants to the latest AI applications and analyzes specific applications
• Specialist topic day in collaboration with Fraunhofer IAIS: word processing with AI

In this training course, technology experts pass on their expertise in an application-oriented manner, creating the foundation for AI projects in the Group.

Key knowledge alone is not enough. The portfolio solutions have to be developed in real projects and set into motion. As an incentive for companies to implement AI applications even faster, INDUS expanded the established innovation development bank and the AI sprint program in 2023. INDUS provides funding of up to EUR 30,000 and 100% of the project volume for AI-oriented projects without any red tape.

RAGUSE, a manufacturer of customer-specific medical devices, is using this latest form of support to automate incoming orders. Orders that come in through various channels (such as the online shop, telephone or email) will increasingly be processed by AI in the future and entered automatically into the ERP system. IPETRONIK, a specialist for measuring and testing technology, is using the funding to set up a chatbot as a service assistant in sales. Both applications that have the potential to be used in similar processes throughout the Group.

Another megatrend that industries are currently focused on beside digitalization is sustainability. The INDUS portfolio companies have to identify potential opportunities related to sustainable technologies and develop new business models and products. Here, too, exchanging information and experiences is key. Both in the INDUS network and with external experts. This is what the INDUS working groups are focusing on as institutional roundtables on current trend topics. Helmholtz Institute HI-ERN had some information to motivate the hydrogen working group, while the sustainable construction working group benefited from input from Fraunhofer IAO Stuttgart. SUSTA[IN] #2 2022, p. 111

Improved market positioning and market processing. Particularly the traditional entrepreneurial development areas profit from external fresh wind, new points of view and impetus. ­INDUS sets up contact to external experts for specific and varied portfolio company projects. One example is the Innovation Cell^®, a project that focused on creating approaches for the further expansion of international markets. How can we gain new customers in foreign markets? What impact do the national building standards in each country have on supply and demand? How can we ensure fast delivery times abroad? These are the questions that HAUFF-TECHNIK, a specialist for house feed-throughs, sought to answer in a workshop spanning several days last October – together with select customers and Prof. ­Burkhard Wörden­weber Paderborn University.

The collaboration with Prof. Christian Landau’s faculty at the European Business School (EBS) in Oestrich-Winkel is already very well established. Students at the private university have been researching practice-oriented questions for and with industrial companies under the professor’s lead since 2017. All in the spirit of “Breaking out of thought patterns and finding new solutions through a new point of view.”

For Dessauer Schaltschrank & Gehäusetechnik DSG, for instance, the idea was: If you can manufacture high-quality switch cabinets, you can build innovative bicycle garages. EBS students created a study for the new product covering the scope of function, sales channels, markets and customers. For OBUK, a specialist for high-quality door panels, the students came up with suggestions for a possible expansion of the product range last year. One question they asked themselves was where is the market heading? The aim was to discover ideas that would bring new and promising impetus.

Knowledge is precious and central to success. The best tool in this context is collaboration. INDUS has known this for a long time – and uses the tool in a number of collaborations with a constantly growing network of external partners. The result is added value that is both innovative and sustainable.