K?rber builds strong ecosystems to solve customers' problems of today and tomorrow

Digitization and technological improvements have changed a lot for the B2C suppliers' industry and manufacturing sector in general. Technical advancements like automation, robotics, cloud computing, 5G network and artificial intelligence accelerate this positive trend. Whereas data exchange between business units, functions and related process improvement like efficiency gains, less failed products etc. used to take months, but now a lot more is possible within seconds. Producers seek partners who support them in accelerating their transformation journey and at the same time maximize productivity in highly competitive markets, as well as in challenging times. K?rber, an international technology group whose headquarters are in Germany, is one of these partners.

12,000 K?rber experts, at more than 100 locations worldwide, have one common goal: to turn entrepreneurial thinking into customer success and shape the technological change for better lives and a sound economy for present and future generations. In the business areas Digital, Pharma, Supply Chain, Technologies and Tissue, K?rber offers products, solutions and services that inspire - always striving to find the best, and individual solutions. This includes building strong ecosystems, integrating heterogeneous partners and solutions which go beyond K?rber's offerings. Rami Jokela, Chief Sales Officer of K?rber, provides insights on this approach.

China Daily: Mr Jokela, how did customer expectations change since the 4th industrial revolution kicked off globally?

Rami Jokela: Companies are increasingly looking for innovative ways to advance their future business in the era of industry 4.0, in which almost everything is connected, integrated, and automated and steered by AI. Nowadays, we see that the highest optimization potential for our customers no longer lies in individual products, but in a functioning ecosystem that addresses market and consumer needs end-to-end.

China Daily: Shaping ecosystems is an industry trend in B2B. Why would you say the K?rber ecosystem approach is unique?

Rami Jokela: Our customers expect a holistic solution approach instead of an individual machine, process or software focus. We think exactly the same way. This is why we build ecosystems as dynamic and largely independent sets of players that complement each other to create interconnected offerings which achieve more value than single solutions. How do we do this? We aim at maximizing the additional value we create for our customers by integrating all components of their production and supply chain into the market. This includes collaboration across our fields of expertise as well as including external partners. Building valuable ecosystems means integration without compromises for us - no matter whether something is a K?rber solution or a partner offering. Why do we know how to do this right? K?rber is one of the global leading companies in both manufacturing and supply chain technologies, and one of the largest software companies in our industry sectors.

China Daily: Can you name examples?

Rami Jokela: We see the three main benefits of ecosystems in being integrated, simplified and supporting efficient operations. K?rber is currently working on ecosystem solutions with customers in the supply chain and tissue sectors, as well as cases in the pharma industry for instance. And this includes experts from all our Business Areas, expert functions and partners. In addition, with our ventures, such as FactoryPal and InspectifAI, we start exactly there - bringing partners, technology, and platforms together, always to the benefit of customers.

China Daily: How does or could K?rber support businesses in China?

Rami Jokela: We have a strong global footprint combined with proven local expertise. All our Business Areas are active in China. Our local teams have a deep knowledge of consumer trends, market developments, and local specifics. I have been working in China for more than eight years and know the challenges and opportunities for multinational or state-owned corporations and other Chinese companies – also regarding their global growth ambitions. With this background and based on our strong entrepreneurial approach, we would start most ecosystem projects with C-level talks on pain points and desired gains e.g., increasing the overall equipment effectiveness, implementing digitally empowered factory performance transparency or enhancing productivity with integrated end-to-end solutions. After this we jointly deep dive in a workshop to concretely define a clear roadmap. Starting from this, we develop an approach to increase – for instance production efficiency e.g. with AI solutions.

China Daily: How can I get in touch with K?rber?

Rami Jokela: We are very proud of our local footprint here in China. All people interested in K?rber can get in touch with us personally on different trade shows here, e.g., the CIPM where we present our solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries in autumn. Furthermore, we are happy to arrange individual meetings with our local experts.

Discover more information and meet Rami Jokela virtually in the K?rber Xperience( https://xperience.koerber.com/#location=ecosystem-lounge).

Find additional information on K?rber on www.koerber.com (https://www.koerber.com/en)