Innovation at APPL: We are a member of "Maschinenraum" Berlin

What is "Maschinenraum"?

A shared Innovation-Ecosystem

With the goal of mutual support and the exchange of experiences, a group of family-owned firms joined forces to develop an innovative and digital ecosystem jointly.

The result is the "Maschinenraum", which was founded as an initiative of heating system manufacturer Viessmann, originating from its own transformation history since Viessmann has been working courageously on the cultural and digital transformation of its own business and wants to share this knowledge and experience with the German Mittelstand to strengthen the economic location Germany.

Currently, the innovation ecosystem has 13 members in addition to APPL. Among those are the founding company Viessmann, the manufacturer of construction materials KNAUF, the logistics service provider Fiege, the lift manufacturer Vestner and the supplier of automation systems Phoenix Contact. 

The overarching goal of the "Maschinenraum" is to share innovative ideas, methods, and infrastructures. Such a network is standard for the startup scene, but a center of competence just for small- and medium-sized businesses and family-owned businesses is so far unique in the market.

Why are we a part of the "Maschinenraum"?

We took a big step and started with our transformation and digitalization. Now we support the collaboration with other companies, share our story, and learn from others' experiences!

Digitalization concerns firms regardless of their size and branch and confronts us with new circumstances and challenges. A study of the WHU has just shown that about 50% of all family-owned companies don't feel well prepared for the digital transformation. Together with the other "Maschinenraum" members, we want to tackle this challenge. We are convinced that the "Maschinenraum" will support us within our digitalization strategy!