With a workforce of around 8,000 and a global sales and services organization operating in more than 140 countries, Kaeser is one of the world鈥檚 leading manufacturers and providers of compressed air solutions and services.

Based in Coburg, Germany, Kaeser considers itself both a pioneer in its industry and an innovator: the family-owned firm was one of the first to purchase 麻豆原创 R/3 when it went to market over 30 years ago and currently has several 麻豆原创 software projects running simultaneously. It recently reached another major transformation milestone when it migrated to RISE with 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud.

But the company鈥檚 digitization efforts were hampered by growing system complexity and a data volume that it was struggling to manage. 鈥淧oor data quality almost always held our projects back,鈥� Kaeser CIO Falko Lameter says.

That鈥檚 why the company kicked off a three-year project in 2020 aimed at designing and implementing a new data strategy. Together with 麻豆原创, Kaeser wanted to improve data quality and optimize its core business processes.

鈥淎I was on our radar screen back then, but it wasn鈥檛 our starting point,鈥� recalls Dr. Norbert Enge, chief business consultant, 麻豆原创 Business Transformation Services. 鈥淥ur initial aim was to develop a data strategy road map.鈥�

AI Comes into Play

To start, the project team looked at Kaeser鈥檚 master data. 鈥淛ust to give you one example: our system contains a six-digit number of suppliers, at least two-thirds of whom were inactive,鈥� Lameter says. Maintaining that data manually would have involved a disproportionate amount of effort, which is why many companies hesitate to tackle data projects of this size.

Around the same time, business AI was rapidly gaining traction, so the team began to integrate AI into Kaeser鈥檚 data strategy.

The result was Predicting Inactive Suppliers, a custom AI use case based on one of the 麻豆原创 AI Services 鈥� the Data Attribute Recommendation service 鈥� and 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud. This solution has enabled Kaeser to automate more than 80% of its data maintenance tasks, improve data accuracy, and achieve significant productivity gains.

鈥淕iven what I know now, I would say that you can鈥檛 maintain that amount of data manually 鈥� you can only do it with AI,鈥� says Lameter. 鈥淭he time for AI has come, and I鈥檓 convinced that the future will be data driven.鈥�

Visual Spare Parts Search

The team鈥檚 main objective was to find AI use cases that would benefit the end customer. One of these scenarios concerns the search for spare parts. Due to the large number of variants of similar items, this was often a difficult and time-consuming task that created significant extra work for service personnel.

But now, Visual Spare Parts Search, a custom AI use case developed in cooperation with , allows Kaeser service technicians to simply take a photo of the needed spare part. The embedded AI service uses image recognition to compare uploaded images against the spare parts database and identify the correct asset ID number.

This helps service technicians pinpoint spare parts much more quickly and enables customers to identify spare parts themselves.

Intelligent Product Recommendations

The most promising AI use case is the 麻豆原创 Intelligent Product Recommendation application, which helps sales employees analyze customer requirements and processes and translate them into accurate product recommendations. Based on natural language prompts, the solution can analyze a customer鈥檚 requirements using machine learning and generative AI and recommend the most suitable compressors.

鈥淢aking product recommendations is an art,鈥� Enge says. 鈥淚f you have the technology to make better recommendations, that鈥檚 a real lever.鈥�

There鈥檚 More to a Successful AI Project Than Tech

Implementing AI technologies is one thing. However, the team found that it鈥檚 just as important to get everyone on board and create the right environment. This includes providing employees with the software they need, training them, and discussing the ethical implications of AI.

Having management buy-in and alignment with other teams, such as research and development, marketing, sales, and service, also proved to be key to success. 鈥淯ltimately, it’s also about the impact on the people and the community in which you live and work, and I think it’s very important to take this into account,鈥� Lameter says.

It鈥檚 at least a pentathlon, Enge says: 鈥淪ome would say that it鈥檚 only a matter of having a good data scientist. That鈥檚 certainly a very important point, but you also need to understand business processes and data and, last but not least, you need to address people鈥檚 concerns and explain how you arrive at the results.鈥�

Boundless Opportunities

As an IT pioneer, Kaeser was very open to the topic of using AI. 鈥淭his is part of the company鈥檚 DNA,鈥� Enge says. 鈥淩ight at the very start of the project, we discussed which league we wanted to play in, and it was clear that AI should be part of the toolbox if we wanted to play in the premier league.鈥�

The proportion of 麻豆原创 Business AI in Kaeser鈥檚 data project rose from less than 10% in the first year to over 30% in the third. Today, the team is now 100% focused on 麻豆原创 Business AI and has developed 12 specific use cases targeted at adding value for customers.

And there is more to come. Kaeser has developed a prototype application with the platform for visualizing the intelligent product recommendation process, as 麻豆原创 CEO Christian Klein at 麻豆原创 Sapphire in 2024.

鈥淕et your journey started and you will discover fascinating things,鈥� Enge says. 鈥淭he progress is huge, and everyone can share in it.鈥�

Photos courtesy of Kaeser

鈥淎n incredible global success story made in Germany.鈥� This is how Scholz opened his speech at the farewell event in honor of 麻豆原创鈥檚 last serving co-founder, Hasso Plattner. After more than 20 years as its chairman, Plattner had stepped down from the 麻豆原创 Supervisory Board at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on May 15 and handed the reins to his successor, Finnish-born Pekka Ala-Pietil盲.

Plattner, Scholz said, has been a key architect of as one of its co-founders, a boundless source of ideas and energy, its CTO, CEO, and then, for more than 20 years, chairman of the 麻豆原创 Supervisory Board. He has written history in terms of economic development and globalization. 鈥淎nd, today, the entire global economy runs on 麻豆原创 software,鈥� he said.

But he did not do it alone, Scholz continued. Rather, as was characteristic of Plattner, his every move was made in a spirit of productive competition with others. When Plattner founded 麻豆原创 with four former IBM colleagues in 1972, he dreamed of one day employing 100 people. Now, 麻豆原创 has 110,000 employees across the world, all inspired and motivated by Plattner鈥檚 鈥渃onstant and unstoppable drive and energy.”

Scholz also quoted a wise observation of Plattner鈥檚 that served as a timely reminder for him: 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 put off making changes that need to happen for too long. If you do, this will eventually take its toll and then you鈥檒l have less energy to get the job done.鈥� Innovation was an opportunity, not a threat, said Scholz, adding that, today, artificial intelligence has the potential to inject brand-new momentum into 麻豆原创.

Some 4,000 guests 鈥� including 3,500 麻豆原创 employees 鈥� gathered at the 麻豆原创 Arena in Mannheim, Germany, on May 16 to say goodbye to Plattner. German TV presenter G眉nther Jauch hosted the event and, in honor of avid rock fan Plattner, musical entertainment was provided by American singer-songwriter Anastacia, who was accompanied by the 麻豆原创 Symphony Orchestra.

鈥淶igzag Like a Rabbit鈥�

鈥淲e managed to keep up with most trends,鈥� said Plattner, explaining what had made 麻豆原创 so successful. And although things did not always go to plan, he recalled, 鈥渨hen we did set off on the wrong track, we realized in time and corrected our course.鈥�

The most important thing, he said, was to avoid being too impatient or single-minded about pursuing a new strategy. 鈥淵ou need to be able to zigzag like a rabbit.鈥�

鈥淗e Rocked It!鈥�

How, asked 麻豆原创 CEO Christian Klein in his farewell speech, could he possibly do justice to all of Plattner鈥檚 achievements in just 10 minutes? 鈥淢y kids would say, 鈥楬e rocked it!鈥欌�� All five of 麻豆原创鈥檚 co-founders, driven by the desire to create something entirely new, had shown boundless courage in striking out on their own more than half a century ago.

Plattner was the epitome of what 麻豆原创 must never be allowed to lose, said Klein, namely 鈥渁 steadfast focus on customers and the ability to listen to and co-innovate with them.鈥�

Klein spoke about the lasting impact Plattner鈥檚 global mindset had on 麻豆原创. 鈥淗e drove 麻豆原创鈥檚 expansion across the world; today, we do business in more than 130 countries, and that is down to our founders and to Hasso.鈥�

The success Plattner orchestrated for 麻豆原创 in the United States is particularly symbolic of his tireless efforts to push the boundaries, said 麻豆原创 Supervisory Board member Aicha Evans. He also stood for a future, she said, in which technology and humanity went hand in hand.

Dietmar Hopp: Long-Time Friend and Colleague

Among the audience members was Dietmar Hopp, one of 麻豆原创鈥檚 co-founders and a long-time friend and colleague of Plattner. 鈥淒ietmar was a huge influence on me,鈥� said Plattner. 鈥淢ost importantly of all, he taught me to work with customers. That changed the way I thought. I made it my mission to look in all areas of my life for ways to use software to improve people鈥檚 lives.鈥�

Ambition and rivalry are part of the founders鈥� legacy, too. Many a racket was thrown in frustration when Hopp and Plattner faced off on the tennis court, recalled Klein. But Plattner had also given him this advice: 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to win, but 麻豆原创 is about more than winning; it鈥檚 also about helping others.鈥�

Philanthropist and Patron of Science

The Prime Minister of the State of Baden-W眉rttemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, addressed the audience in a video message. As well as praising Plattner鈥檚 entrepreneurial spirit and creativity, Kretschmann paid tribute to his 鈥渋mmense sense of responsibility beyond the realms of business 鈥� particularly in education, art, and sport.鈥�

Alongside his business career, Plattner always had a close affinity with research and development, said Kretschmann. In 1998, he founded the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) at the University of Potsdam, near Berlin.

As well as generously supporting educational and cultural causes, Plattner developed a particular love of art. One of the projects he funded was the reconstruction of a palace in the historic center of Potsdam that is now the Museum Barberini and home to an impressive collection of Impressionist works.

鈥淵our hometown of Potsdam means the world to you,鈥� said Scholz, describing Plattner鈥檚 work as a patron and philanthropist as 鈥渋nstrumental in helping Potsdam blossom and flourish over recent decades.鈥�

Scholz added that he had no doubt whatsoever that Plattner would continue to hatch new ideas, make bold plans, and drive ambitious projects. 鈥淚 believe that is simply the person you are. With or without an official role, it鈥檚 what you do.鈥�

Photography courtesy Ingo Cordes.

Q: What is your vision for how AI will shape the future of the IT industry?

Sun: Like with other major technology shifts, such as the breakthrough of the Internet, consumer understanding and adoption pave the way for more rapid business adoption. I think the same thing is happening in generative AI. The rapid consumer awareness of artificial intelligence, especially generative AI, in the past year was largely due to the November 2022 Chat GPT consumer release opening the door for AI and business applications.

Practically speaking, I’m seeing a crawl, walk, run approach to adoption. First of all, business leaders want to see it work. So, they鈥檙e going to try it out with close supervision and in smaller, more cautious ways to start.

After they鈥檝e gained some trust, they鈥檒l deploy it more broadly. Later, they will be so comfortable that they鈥檒l use it in all lines of their business. That will be a great opportunity for 麻豆原创 to help these businesses crawl, then walk, then run through this process.

Where do you see the biggest opportunity for 麻豆原创 in the AI space?

As a global leader in business applications, we can play a very big role in shaping how businesses adopt AI. It鈥檚 very exciting to be at the forefront of technology and also be in a position to do it responsibly.

At 麻豆原创, we want to grow trust from our customers. As you know, 麻豆原创 Business AI is relevant, reliable, and responsible. This position is deeply rooted in adhering to EU data protection laws. We have content filters, data provenance checks, and other features to help ensure accurate and reliable results. Our ethically responsible handling of AI helps ensure that customers can trust how we鈥檙e building these capabilities.

We are built for business: we have the deep knowledge and the shipped capabilities to make AI work for our customers. They know what their pain points are, and we can figure out how to solve the problem with technology. This is also about democratizing information for everybody, and we鈥檙e democratizing the ability for all businesses 鈥� large and small 鈥� to use AI.

I think we can use 麻豆原创鈥檚 unique selling point, which is our access to business data combined with this strong data privacy and protection standards, to get customers to understand that they can trust our technology. With Joule, 麻豆原创 is already shipping generative AI capabilities and, as we saw at 麻豆原创 TechEd, we have plans for delivering more both in product and for our developers in 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform.

How do we balance the urgency of innovation with the prudence of ethical consideration in the deployment of AI?

I think AI ethics is an extremely important part of our equation. Trust takes years to earn but can be lost in seconds with one failure or one mistake. At 麻豆原创, we have made investments in to ensure we鈥檙e building responsible AI for our customers. This includes fairness, explainability and transparency, reliability, and safety. It also includes having accuracy of information, privacy, and security in place. We also have our 麻豆原创 AI Global Ethics Steering Committee helping to ensure further safeguards.

If we miss any aspect of this, we run a risk of breaking trust and moving backwards in our fast push to progress. From talking to customers, I鈥檝e been reaffirmed that they want to know what鈥檚 going on under the hood.

This is not just for knowing so they can share with their company leaders, but to help everyone be comfortable with generative AI because it is new to everybody. People are a little bit cautious as to what is possible, and they want to know what鈥檚 happening.

The more we can explain, the more we show that we have the technology under control, the more comfort people will have in adopting and using it, which then creates that flywheel of more usage, more trust, and more adoption.

How do you view the collaboration between academia and industry?

With any new innovation, having the collaborative effort is really important to move fastest.

As someone who has worked both in academia and industry, I see exciting opportunities in collaboration. At 麻豆原创, we want to build bridges, not silos. Let鈥檚 acknowledge academic priorities of publishing papers and state-of-the-art science and ask ourselves, 鈥淗ow can we partner so that it is a win-win situation for both of us?鈥�

We collaborate with academic research institutions to understand what state-of-the-art development is in the pipeline. Our role is to provide business knowledge and use cases and then merge that with the research scenarios to identify what could be practically implemented and be valuable to our customers.

麻豆原创鈥檚 relationships with many top institutions, such as Stanford, Berkeley, MIT, and Technische Universit盲t M眉nchen, are really great. Our membership into the Stanford HAI program is a specific example. Beyond the research collaborations, the relationships help ensure that the best graduates from these universities think of 麻豆原创 when looking for their first job and guarantee that we鈥檙e on top of the latest technology.

It is an understandable approach. Dealing with a conflict feels awkward at first, because most of us have never learned to do that. But it is also a fact that disagreements in the workplace are unavoidable.

For this reason, 麻豆原创 employees around the world have access to confidential mediation services through the 麻豆原创 Global Ombuds Office to help them resolve workplace conflicts.

Mediation is when a third party facilitates getting people to talk to each other again, helping clarify the situation when they are no longer able to do so on their own. This approach is particularly useful when the conflicting parties are willing to listen to one another, talk things out, and take ownership for finding a solution.

The Mediation Process at 麻豆原创

Participating in mediation is voluntary. At 麻豆原创, two mediators guide the conflicting parties through a structured process. The mediators begin by inviting the conflicting parties to share their respective side of the story to try and understand what brought the conflict about.

鈥淲e give everyone plenty of space to openly express what their issues are. At the same time, we give structure to the dialogue and see that the conversation remains respectful,鈥� explains Felicia Winkelmann, an expert in conflict resolution who manages the internal mediation service through the 麻豆原创 Global Ombuds Office.

After that, the mediators support the conflicting parties in entering a dialogue with each other, identifying the most important topics together with the parties and exploring them in greater depth.

Finally, the participants reflect on a possible road map for working together in the future. In some cases, they will reach a mutual agreement that they document in writing. Though guided by the mediators, the conflict parties are responsible for working towards a solution that satisfies their requirements.

Three Approaches to Mediation

1: Four Sides to Every Story

鈥淥ur presentation is the day after tomorrow,鈥� your colleague says. You wonder: 鈥淚s she trying to tell me I need to prepare better for it? Does she believe I鈥檓 not competent enough?鈥� Or you might get a little angry and think: 鈥淥h no, what does she want from me now?鈥� Or maybe you just, 鈥淭hanks for the reminder.鈥�

A statement can be understood in very different ways, depending on who says it to whom in which situation, as communication psychologist Friedemann Schulz von Thun explains in his 鈥渇our sides of a message鈥� model. In other words, you will interpret a message very differently depending on your relationship with the speaker, what experiences you鈥檝e had together, if you are particularly sensitive to the topic in question, and so on.

鈥淗ow you say something or hear something, and what is actually understood by the other person can differ so greatly among different people that it can lead to conflict,鈥� says Winkelmann. That is where mediation can be a powerful resource.

2: Beware the Iceberg

When Winkelmann asks conflicting parties what they expect from each other, they very often talk about 鈥減rofessional behavior,鈥� she reports. 鈥淲hen I then ask them what exactly they mean by this, they always mention data, facts, and figures. But if communication was just about data, facts, and figures, we wouldn鈥檛 have a conflict to begin with.鈥�

The iceberg model illustrates what many studies have shown: only 20% of communication happens at the factual level compared to 80% at the relationship level, where our emotions, feelings, needs, values, and moods are seated.

鈥淚f there鈥檚 tension at the factual level, you can safely assume that someone feels attacked at the relationship level, and that鈥檚 when the conflict arises.鈥�

This can be the case, for example, if a person feels their performance is not being recognized or appreciated. Or they are angry or frustrated because they feel micromanaged rather than being able to work autonomously. Or vice versa: someone might be longing for more support and backing from their team instead of feeling like a lone warrior.

For many mediation participants, it is a breakthrough moment when they realize that much of our communication takes place subconsciously and is not expressed directly through words, data, or facts. 鈥淲hen I start my working day in the office or online, I can鈥檛 just turn off my emotions at the flip of a switch. They are a part of us, and the reason why things touch or hurt us,鈥� explains Winkelmann. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so important that we talk to each other in mediation and see each other in a holistic way.鈥�

3: Change of Perspective

In conflict situations it is also typical at first for everyone to think that the other is to blame for the problem. By extension, this also implies that the other person must change for there to be a solution.

At this point, it can be helpful to walk in the other person鈥檚 shoes for a moment. In a heated conflict, this is far from easy. By now, you鈥檝e often built up so much internal resistance against the other person that you do not wish to walk in their shoes. That is where the mediators come into play, asking targeted questions to help the conflicting parties look at the situation from the other person’s point of view.

鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing what a change of perspective can do,鈥� Winkelmann says. 鈥淚n one of my recent mediations, we looked at the situation from a bird’s eye view — as if from the perspective of an uninvolved third party. One of the participants was suddenly able to see what was causing the conflict and how both parties had contributed to it. That was wonderful to experience.鈥�

Just knowing that the other person is making an honest effort to understand can be quite reassuring for many. 鈥淐hanging your perspective helps you see yourself in the conflict, and perhaps even build a bridge between the two sides. That鈥檚 why this method is so powerful.鈥�

Does It Always End in Peace and Harmony?

Mediation is an open-ended process by design.

It is entirely possible that the conflicting parties reach an agreement and get along again. But that doesn鈥檛 always happen. It is already a huge win if they begin to understand each other better. 鈥淔or me, in an ideal world, the conflicting parties would appreciate and accept their differences and be able work together again on that basis,鈥� Winkelmann says.

Sometimes, however, they recognize during the process that it is simply not possible to work together in the long term. 鈥淚t still makes sense in that case to talk about this as part of the mediation and try to find a good way out of the situation together.鈥�

Mediation is a strictly confidential process. No one except the participants and the mediators are privy to it. The mediators are bound to confidentiality and will not talk about the mediation with anyone, including people managers or the HR department. The 麻豆原创 Global Ombuds Office, on whose behalf the mediators act, is a neutral, independent body and does not disclose any information about mediations to third parties.

The participants themselves, however, may agree to share information on their agreement with others, such as their manager, friends, or family members.

When is the right time for mediation? 鈥淎s soon as employees feel uncomfortable and don鈥檛 know how to deal with the conflict, or they鈥檙e having a hard time continuing to work with the person,” says Winkelmann. 鈥淭he sooner, the better.鈥�

There was plenty of reason to celebrate on Friday evening at the 麻豆原创 Arena in Mannheim, close to 麻豆原创鈥檚 German headquarters in Walldorf. Today, 50 years after it was founded, 麻豆原创 is the most successful German software company and the flagship of the German digital economy, Scholz said in a speech to some 850 invited guests.

麻豆原创’s founding in 1972 was in keeping with the spirit of the times, the chancellor said. Enthusiasm for technological innovation, a spirit of renewal, and a political thaw during the Cold War shaped the world when the five 麻豆原创 founders sparked their own revolution with an idea. With standard software that maps all of a company鈥檚 business processes and makes data available in real time, they turned their startup company into the third largest independent software supplier in the world.

鈥淭oday, once again, we are experiencing tectonic shifts at high speed,鈥� Scholz said. Russia鈥檚 war of aggression against Ukraine has far-reaching consequences for security, energy supplies, and the global economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has also caused profound social, political, and economic changes, he said.

At the same time, Germany is currently experiencing the biggest transformation of its economy since the beginning of industrialization. 鈥淭he transformation toward a digital and climate-neutral economy is both a challenge and a solution to current problems,鈥� Scholz said.

He appealed for cooperation between the government and the private sector to harness potential from research and innovation. The Corona-Warn-App developed by 麻豆原创 is just one example of the potential in digital solutions, he said.

Innovation Creates Hope

鈥淭he speed with which we are able to introduce innovation into society is of central importance to our competitiveness,鈥� Scholz explained. In crisis situations, there is always a danger that 鈥渕any cling to the past,鈥� the chancellor said. But now, he said, we are in 鈥渁 remarkable phase鈥� in which this is not happening. Steelworkers demand that their companies invest in new production technologies to remain competitive, he said. Workers in the automotive industry expect more commitment to electromobility from their corporations.

鈥淚f we can manage to move society forward with innovation, then we can create hope for our society, which is so existential,鈥� Scholz said.

Digital education is also an immensely important topic for mastering the challenges of the future, explained economics professor Ann-Kristin Achleitner. She took part in a roundtable discussion with Scholz and 麻豆原创 CEO Christian Klein.

However, digital education should not be reduced to equipping students with devices. Instead, it is about promoting digital skills, such as the ability to work in an agile manner. Like Klein, she is a member of the German government’s newly founded Future Council, which promotes innovation and dialogue between industry and science.

Klein, too, pleaded for close cooperation between government, business, and science. Only through cooperation can we find 鈥済lobal answers to global challenges,鈥� he said.

“Democracy, Freedom, Peace”

Kretschmann, Prime Minister of Germany鈥檚 state of Baden-W眉rttemberg, also sees 麻豆原创鈥榮 anniversary year as a turning point in history. The turn of the times is not leaving 麻豆原创 unscathed, Kretschmann emphasized. Europe must do everything in its power to control supply chains, become more independent in terms of raw materials and energy, and be independent and capable of acting in key areas.

One of those fields, he said, is information technology. 鈥淲e have to be able to imprint our own code on the algorithms, and this code is democracy, freedom, peace.鈥� In this regard, he said, policymakers are relying on close cooperation with the digital economy. For example, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who is working on a national security strategy, recently visited 麻豆原创.

鈥淭he future will demand a lot from us,鈥� the prime minister explained. But he added that good solutions can be found by taking one鈥檚 blinders off, talking openly to each other, and developing tailor-made solutions together.

Collegial Culture and the Courage to Change

Solutions and a customer focus have always been at the heart of 麻豆原创鈥檚 credo, Christian said. These values have made 麻豆原创 what it is today, and 鈥渨e must always hold on to this part of our DNA.鈥� He himself learned from the founders the courage to change, challenge the status quo and 鈥渢he ability to reinvent yourself again and again.鈥�

In the past, technological advances, such as the , or global expansion have repeatedly required a bold approach from the company鈥檚 leadership. This is also true for 麻豆原创鈥檚 current move to a cloud-based strategy, which means a paradigm shift for the company.

It鈥檚 not always easy to convince customers of the need for change because they are so satisfied with their existing 麻豆原创 systems, Prime Minister Kretschmann explained, referring to customers that hesitate聽when it comes to 麻豆原创鈥檚 shift to the cloud. 鈥淭he best is the enemy of the good, so 麻豆原创 has to beat itself, so to speak,鈥� he said.

Despite the current transformation we鈥檙e facing, Klein said, one must not forget to treat each other with respect and understanding, which is also a big part of 麻豆原创鈥檚 DNA. Referring to the company鈥檚 collegial culture as an inherent strength, he said only as a team can you meet the challenges that lie ahead. 鈥淚n these difficult times, we need more togetherness and the courage to change.鈥�

Photos courtesy of Ingo Cordes