Machinery and plant engineering

Publication: OPPORTUNITY - Facts for decision makers

In this OPPORTUNITY we take a look at machinery and plant engineering and discuss how companies in this sector can position themselves future-proof and systematically expand their business. Various approaches to expanding the business will be presented, based on the product-market portfolio. Here, the focus lies on operational excellence, activities regarding a market approach and innovation that concentrates on customers.

Under the keyword operational excellence, the possibilities for increasing efficiency as to aquisition and execution of projects are illustrated. In doing so, the modularization of machines and systems will be discussed among other things. In the context of approaching the market, we focus on data-based market development, the importance of which is also growing in machinery and plant engineering. The chapter “Innovation concentrating on customers” explains how machine and plant manufacturers can generate more bussiness with additional services and digital products. Finally, we present ten patterns for success that we have derived from the different positionings of companies with above-average success.

Contents of this OPPORTUNITY

positioning by the range of services
positioning in markets
approaches to expanding business
10 patterns of success in machinery and plant engineering

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Successful collaboration

“This project was important for our profitability. We were able to maintain our day-to-day business and complete the project at the same time – and my team kept their spirits up. The profitability of my business area for components has been increased tremendously and we are prepared for the future: we are introducing optimizations to our range of products much faster.”

Heinrich Steinbrecher

Managing Partner

Bürener Maschinenfabrik GmbH

“I strongly believe lean management can set the foundation for good business performance in a dynamic market environment as in China. The UNITY team successfully motivated our lean agents and our management team to identify improvement potentials and develop an implementation plan. We are very pleased to see that all of the initiated actions are being managed by lean agents now and that all of our employees are participating in them.”

Markus Clement

Managing Director

EMAG Taicang

Project Stories

Development of an AI platform to implement use cases

Machinery and plant engineering
Development of an AI platform to implement use cases

HEGGEMANN AG is an innovative system supplier for the aviation and defense industries. The company develops and manufactures complex lightweight and metal structures and stands for maximum precision, technological excellence, and sustainable production processes.

HEGGEMANN AG has teamed up with UNITY to develop a powerful AI platform that serves as the central foundation for the systematic use of artificial intelligence throughout the company. The aim of the project was to increase the aviation supplier‘s operational efficiency and strategic competitiveness in the long term through AI-supported business processes.

The project analyzed various business processes, from development to production, order processing, and administration, and identified potential areas for the targeted use of AI. Based on this analysis, UNITY worked with HEGGEMANN AG to develop a company-wide AI portfolio and a structured portfolio management system that evaluates the priorities, cost-effectiveness, and feasibility of individual use cases.

Another focus was on empowering employees. Workshops and training courses on topics such as ideation, use case development, AI governance, and technical implementation laid the foundations for the independent further development of AI applications within the company.

The jointly developed technical platform now enables the implementation and integration of specific AI solutions. This allows HEGGEMANN AG to make quick data-driven decisions and design more efficient processes.

22 Use Cases evaluated in terms of benefits. feasibility, and priority

Roles, guidelines, and standards established in AI governance

Efficiency gains through faster access to information

„In collaboration with UNITY, we have taken a decisive step toward future viability. We particularly liked the holistic approach: UNITY not only created the technical infrastructure, but also supported us in empowering our employees to develop and implement their own AI ideas. As a result, we are now in a position to use artificial intelligence in a targeted manner in our production, development, and administrative processes and generate real added value.“

Jan Wesendahl

CTO

HEGGEMANN AG

Moritz Siegert

Business Area Lead

Stuttgart, Germany

Marcel Sticht

Manager

Paderborn, Germany

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Thomas Ulrich

Partner

Paderborn, Germany