Data That Moves - Interview with Sebastian Stute

For effective control of logistics and production processes, data is needed that is ideally collected as close to the product as possible: for example, on the individual components or at least on the load carriers in which they are transported. For this purpose, SmartMakers provides an intelligent solution with even greater potential for future development.

Sebastian Stute - CEO of SmartMakers GmbH

Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Stute, with its easy-to-use IoT tracking and remote monitoring solutions, SmartMakers aims to accelerate and simplify its customers' business processes – how exactly do you achieve this?

Sebastian Stute: As a track-and-trace specialist, we provide our customers with real-time data on operating resources for which there is often no reliable information available: for example, on load carriers, boxes, and crates, but also on components that directly flow into the respective end product. Our customers include manufacturers of fire trucks or concrete pumps who attach our tracking solutions directly to their chassis. This allows logistical cycles within their own operations to be better understood across multiple production sites and in interaction with suppliers, as well as enabling more granular control of assembly and manufacturing processes.

Wirtschaftsforum: What information do you provide to your customers?

Sebastian Stute: The data we provide includes not only the location of the respective component or load carrier but also important information on dwell and throughput times or condition monitoring during transport – for example, whether an X-ray machine is consistently transported in an upright position as intended on its way from Jena to China. In production processes, real-time alerts ensure that there are always enough components and transport containers available.

Wirtschaftsforum: Having data is one thing – using it effectively is quite another challenge

Sebastian Stute: To address this, we have developed our own application platform where the relevant production and logistics processes can be purposefully controlled and coordinated – naturally with appropriate interfaces to relevant transport management systems, enabling seamless management of all operational processes. Looking ahead, we see numerous additional possibilities through AI to further reduce complexity in this context. Many of our customers desire a simple question-and-answer interaction in natural language. We are already working on this – and even today, our existing solutions can significantly simplify many operational processes, such as booking goods receipts or managing transport crates, allowing our customers to deploy their employees for truly value-adding processes. Although tracking technology has now become widespread, many customers are still unaware that there is a simple, targeted solution for this in the logistics context with our offering. We aim to raise this awareness further in the near future.

“With our solutions, operational processes such as booking goods receipts or managing transport crates can be significantly simplified, allowing our customers to deploy their employees for truly value-adding processes.”

– Sebastian Stute, CEO of SmartMakers

Where is my shipment? With the help of Asset Trackers & Tags and the thingsHub Tracking Cloud, this question can be easily answered even in an industrial context.

Wirtschaftsforum: What goals are you pursuing for the coming years?

Sebastian Stute: Hardware peripherals such as our Trackers and other electronic components are becoming cheaper, more powerful, and thus more energy-efficient. This enables longer runtimes and, in turn, usability at lower costs, which will continue to lower acquisition barriers in the future. Today, we are still primarily operating in the high-mix-low-volume market, which is mainly characterized by the custom manufacturing of complex components – accordingly, most of our customers come from the fields of special machinery and vehicle construction, medical technology, aerospace, and defense. Looking ahead, we also see an interesting application field for our technology in classic B and C parts.

Wirtschaftsforum: What other changes will AI bring?

Sebastian Stute: The general AI push leads to an even greater hunger for data – and SmartMakers is the ideal data provider, as we can provide information directly from the respective assets. From this combination of AI and real-time data, a powerful tool will emerge to easily summarize and process even the most complex issues. Even today, our software allows for a good understanding of how individual shipments have moved – however, some complexity remains, as you still have to click on the respective elements and process the corresponding information. The great simplification will come when we can generate an automated report in the morning that describes in natural language how many transports are on time, where delays may occur, and what they are likely due to. We are already working on this. We are convinced that the market will develop strongly towards automated, data-driven decisions in the next five to ten years – and technologies like ours will play a central role in this. With our long-standing market experience and clear focus on real-time data, we are already laying the foundation for this transformation.

“From the combination of AI and real-time data, a powerful tool will emerge to easily summarize and process even the most complex issues.”

– Sebastian Stute, CEO of SmartMakers

Wirtschaftsforum: How is SmartMakers positioned in the long term to benefit from market developments?

Sebastian Stute: SmartMakers is now part of the international Zenner Group – and thus embedded in a strong, long-term thinking corporate environment with a clear strategic orientation. This not only provides us with financial stability but also access to a comprehensive technology and partner network that we can strategically use for our further development.

This interview was conducted for Wirtschaftsforum.

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