HERE+NOW.IMPULSE MAGAZINE /// 01/2016

ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT AND

RESEARCH EXCELLENCE IN SAXONY-ANHALT

HERE +NOW.

IMPULSE MAGAZINE

01 /// 2016

www.invest-in-saxony-anhalt.com

DATA FOR THE CLOUD

Industry 4.0 at ThyssenKrupp

in Schönebeck

THE NETWORK IN THE

BACKGROUND

SAP Competence Center for expertise

in Magdeburg connects

CONTENTS

1 EDITORIAL

MARKET OF THE FUTURE

INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

COVER: Digitalisation of production: a pilot system is tested

at ThyssenKrupp Presta Schönebeck GmbH.

PROFESSION

DATA FOR THE CLOUD

INDUSTRY 4.0 AT

THYSSENKRUPP IN

SCHÖNEBECK

POTENTIAL

USABILITY IS

NOT A CLICHÉ

FUTURE

FRESH THINKING IN

GOOD TIME

CLEVER IT-SOLUTIONS FROM

SAXONY-ANHALT

HERE

IT CREATES FUTURE.

START-UP

A PLAYFUL APPROACH

TO NEW PATHS

PRINCIPLES

THE DEMAND FOR BRAIN WORK, KNOW-

HOW AND CREATIVITY IS INCREASING

B R E A K T R O U G H

INTO THE FUTURE WITH INTELLIGENCE:

RESEARCHERS FROM SAXONY-ANHALT

PROVIDE IMPETUS

K E Y F I G U R E S

SUCCESS IN NUMBERS

P O D I U M

CONTACTS: EXPERTISE IN RESEARCH AND

NETWORKS

RELATION

THE NETWORK IN THE

BACKGROUND

THE SAP COMPETENCE

CENTRE IN MAGDEBURG

LINKS SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY

HIT EXPORT

A MAJOR SEARCH

FROM THE BEGINNING

WAYS AND MEANS

A BIG ADVANTAGE FOR THE SMALL PLAYERS

WINNERS

INNOVATIVE SUCCESS STORIES

ENCORE

Publisher’s imprint

Over the years to come, digitalisation will make big changes to our lives.

Whether it is industry, handicrafts or the service sector, all will have to adapt

to it at high speed. The opportunities provided by digitalisation are just as

great as the pressure to create innovations. For this reason, information and

communications technologies have been defined as an important market of

the future in the Saxony-Anhalt Regional Innovation Strategy 2014 – 2020.

But it isn’t just the world of business which is facing a digital transformation,

the world of public administration is as well. For companies and citizens that means

usability – in terms of ease of access, transparent processes as well as flexibility due

to time and location independent administrative services.

Increasing digitalisation requires more digital education. In recent years, the development

of the internet has been so rapid that the requirements in the population

have become very different. From primary school pupils to senior citizens, the levels

of understanding surrounding technology need to grow, in addition to the ability to

apply the knowledge in a correct and beneficial way.

For innovations and applications in the digital sphere, the users’ confidence in IT

security and data protection are basic requirements. In this respect, the digitalisation

of our daily lives will only gain widespread acceptance if IT security keeps in pace

with the wider developments.

Saxony-Anhalt is well equipped for the digital age. The federal state is already

home to many IT companies which have made the conscious decision to locate here

and value the excellent local infrastructure. This not only includes sector giants such

as T-Systems and SAP, but also cutting-edge start-ups such as UCD+ and marmalade.

PRINCIPLES

THE DEMAND

FOR BRAIN WORK,

KNOW-HOW AND

CREATIVITY IS

INCREASING

JULIA BÜTOW

Senior Manager,

Investment and

Marketing Corporation

Saxony-Anhalt

(IMG)

2 3 MARKET OF THE FUTURE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY : PROFESSION

DATA FOR

THE CLOUD

INDUSTRY 4.0 AT

THYSSENKRUPP IN SCHÖNEBECK

Julia Bütow is a Senior Manager at the Investment

and Marketing Corporation Saxony-

Anhalt (IMG). She supports investors from

the IT sector which want to locate in Saxony-

Anhalt or are already located here. A discussion

about good locations, qualified staff and the speed

of a growing sector.

In the recent years, Saxony-Anhalt has become

a popular location for IT companies. Yet the majo

rity of people in the federal state don’t seem

to be aware of it.

JULIA BÜTOW: IT companies don’t have large-scale

production systems and most of them aren’t located

in large scale business parks, they are usually

found in unremarkable office buildings. The companies

have a similar fate as their products: we use

them so frequently and take them for granted so

much that we don’t even notice them.

How big is the IT sector in Saxony-Anhalt?

JULIA BÜTOW: Our federal state is home to more

than 500 small and medium-sized IT companies.

Some of the biggest IT companies have also set

up a base here, however, including T-Systems, IBM,

DELL and SAP. Experience shows that the presence

of one of the major companies attracts start-ups.

The annual turnover of the IT sector in Saxony-

Anhalt now exceeds two billion Euros.

Do higher rates of turnover mean more jobs?

JULIA BÜTOW: It is naturally the case that the IT

sector does not require as much manpower as the

foods sector for example. Despite this, over the

last ten years the number of people employed in IT

here in Saxony-Anhalt has increased by 50 percent.

At present, more than 14,000 people are working

in the IT sector in the federal state.

Do IT companies experience difficulties

finding suitable employees?

JULIA BÜTOW: The relatively positive staff situation

in Saxony-Anhalt is one of the key advantages

of our location. The companies here benefit from

the local colleges and universities, where around

3,000 students are currently registered on ITspecific

courses. In addition to this, the companies

also hire well-trained youngsters from the local

vocational colleges. In the IT sector, the employee

always comes first, because software will always

need someone to programme it. Even though IT is

ultimately about technology, it is also about brain

work, know-how and creativity. And the requirements

are increasing all the time, requiring appropriately

qualified employees.

What, in your personal opinion, is the

attraction of the IT sector?

JULIA BÜTOW: On the one hand, there’s its speed:

at a chemicals company, it can take up to five years

to complete just one project. At an IT company, it

is usually two to three months. The IT sector has

a particularly open and flexible atmosphere in

which competition is viewed as a source of enrichment

which provides new impetus. IT means collaboration.

IT has a lifestyle all of its own, because

it both welcomes and demands lateral thinking.

www.invest-in-saxony-anhalt.com/ict

Big data: hundreds of data are measured,

stored and analysed during production.

PROFESSION : MARKET OF THE FUTURE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

4 5 PROFESSION

A small laser marking gives every

part an identity.

Everything in view:

managing director Sascha Singer.

Sascha Singer points to the tiny laser marking on a ball nut.

The marking involves a Data Matrix code – it stands for a

new industrial age known as Industry 4.0.

“THE CODE gives every part an

identity, a mixture of CV and ID

card. In addition to serial numbers

and customer numbers it

includes all information regarding

the manufacturing process. With

every machine which ball nuts,

but also all other components go

through, it is individually registered.

So the plant always knows

whether the product has the right

status, may be utilised or whether

a process step is missing”, explains

the managing director of

the steering plant from ThyssenKrupp

Presta Schönebeck GmbH.

At the site, thyssenkrupp has a

workforce of 750 employees and

produces steering components

which are preassembled for virtually

all major manufacturers in the

international automotive industry.

After that the components are

sent to other thyssenkrupp plants

in Germany, China, Mexico and

France, where they are assembled

into complete steering systems.

The automotive industry and its

suppliers have recognised the

opportunities of digitalised production

at an early stage: stronger

networking, altered value-added

processes as well as new supply

relationships and business models.

THE PLANT IN SCHÖNEBECK

is among three sites at which

thyssenkrupp AG is testing a

so-called “big data” analysis by

means of pilot plants on a crossplant

basis. Several hundred

measurement data such has

pressing forces, dimensions or

acoustic data from production

and assembly of steering systems

are recorded in real time

and stored in a cloud. Specialised

software sorts and analyses the

huge volume of data from which

conclusions are drawn with regard

to the interaction and the effects

of various process steps. “As a result,

our production is much more

efficient and flexible. Moreover,

errors can be immediately detected

and corrected. The likelihood

that defective products leave the

plant is virtually zero”, says managing

director Singer with a sense

of pride. The 36-year-old worked

eight years for thyssenkrupp AG in

Shanghai, before he took over the

operations in Schönebeck in 2014.

THE INDUSTRIAL ENGINEER

VIEWS predictions that digitalisation

will destroy jobs on a

grand scale with scepticism. “I am

more confident here. There will

undoubtedly be shifts among the

fields of work. In some areas jobs

will disappear, whereas entirely

new jobs will emerge in other areas.

In 1984, on the day of the first

e-mail in Germany, who would

have anticipated that 300,000

people would be working in the

German digital economy today?

We should endeavour towards a

more sober view regarding the

subject of digitalisation”, says the

native-born Austrian Sascha Singer.

“Wherever data will be compiled

on a large-scale basis, the

subject of IT security will logically

play a pivotal role. New jobs will

definitely emerge in this field.”

It is certain that higher demands

on the qualification of employees

will be imposed in the course of

digitalisation. That is why a solid

promotion of young talent is

indispensable. A new apprenticeship

workshop, in which about 36

young people will be trained every

year, was first put into operation

at the plant in Schönebeck in the

summer of 2015. ThyssenKrupp

Presta Schönebeck GmbH is also

working together on a project-related

basis with students and

professors from Otto-von-Guericke

University Magdeburg.

THE PILOT PLANT in Schönebeck

is only one of many steps towards

digitalisation for thyssenkrupp

AG. The corporate group is currently

pointing the way ahead for

a comprehensive digitalisation

of all production processes. The

backbone for this is a harmonised

and highly efficient IT infrastructure

with separate data processing

centres. Collecting, storing

and processing large volumes of

data in all value-added steps are

inconceivable without standardised

systems.

“THE INDUSTRY is in the early

sta ges of a radical change. Compa-

PROFESSION : MARKET OF THE FUTURE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

6 7 PROFESSION

At the highest level: the production

of steering systems in Schönebeck.

nies which do not adjust to this

fundamental change in structure

squander their future viability.

That is why the top priority is to

question capabilities, enhance

digital maturity and to recognise

opportunities as well as to

develop and implement them

as quickly as possible, because

the speed of this development is

enormous”, says Sascha Singer.

All production data can be read in

real time on the tablet.

In addition to Schönebeck,

thyssenkrupp AG also operates

a plant in Ilsenburg in the Harz

region of Saxony-Anhalt, in

which about 900 employees

produce engine components.

At this production site the physical

world of things also merges

with data networks to form a

cyber-physical system.

www.thyssenkrupp.com

THE FOUR LEVERS OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

The finished components are sent all

over the world for processing.

DIGITAL DATA. Better predictions and decisions can be

made through the recording, processing and analysis of

digitalised mass data.

AUTOMATION. Combining classical technologies with

artificial intelligence is increasingly giving rise to systems

that work autonomously and organise themselves. This

reduces error rates, increases speed and reduces operating

costs.

CONNECTIVITY. Production times and innovation cycles are

shortened due to mobile or line-conducted networking, and

the entire value-added chain will be synchronised via high

broadband telecommunication.

DIGITAL CUSTOMER ACCESS. The (mobile) Internet gives

new intermediaries direct access to customers and offers

them complete transparency and entirely new kinds of

services. Source: BDI/Roland Berger Strategy Consultants

POTENTIAL : MARKET OF THE FUTURE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

8 9 POTENTIAL

USABILITY IS NOT A CLICHÉ

UCD+ BRINGS ITS CUSTOMERS INTO THE FUTURE

So that eyeglasses fit perfectly:

the centration system from UCD+

and Ollendorf.

“ EVERY COMPANY will become

an IT company in the medium term,” says

Bastian Ehl. For his clients, the managing

director of UCD+ from Magdeburg lives in

the future already today.

POTENTIAL : MARKET OF THE FUTURE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

10 11 POTENTIAL

REQUESTED ...

BASTIAN EHL

managing director of UCD+

HANS-JOACHIM

OLLENDORF

owner of Ollendorf

Mess-Systeme

“The Ollendorf

company was

courageous and

completely rethought

their product, and

consistently relied

on digitalisation

while doing so.

What emerged

is an innovative

application which

makes the work

of opticians easier,

takes up less space,

is cheaper and also

measures much more

precisely. And along

the way Ollendorf

became world market

leader as a result.”

THE AGENCY is a service provider

for user-centred design, usability

and application development.

“User interfaces for machine

control as well as software, mobile

and web solutions are our core

business. We provide the tools for

the digitalisation of processes”,

says Bastian Ehl. In addition to corporate

groups such as Volkswagen

or Siemens, particularly small and

medium-sized enterprises from

the fields of mechanical and plant

engineering as well as electrical

engineering are among the customers

from UCD+.

Rethinking a product requires

courage. But it also promises

success. For example, the cooperation

between UCD+ and Ollendorf

Mess-Systeme shows this.

Ollendorf specialises in ocular

optical measuring instruments

and is among the leading world-

wide manufacturers in this field.

A static video centration system

was further developed into a

mobile version by Ollendorf with

the help of UCD+. Today an optician

measures by means of tablet

together with measuring attachment

and app – a world first!

Under the name “visuReal” the

video centration system provides

opticians with all necessary data

for correct grinding of eyeglasses.

THE ADVANTAGES of the development

are so obvious that visuReal

has already been translated into 30

languages and is being used worldwide.

For instance, the software

not only ascertains the necessary

measurement, but also sends

these directly to the connected

glass manufacturer for production.

More over, the customer can also

“put on” their desired frame per

video in the shop thanks to the app.

AT UCD+ the first question in a

conversation with customers is always:

What do users want, what

makes working easier for them?

The answer to this is not always

found on a desk. This is why the

experts from UCD+ analyse the

utilisation environment of the desired

solution on site if possible –

in factory halls, on assembly lines

or in agricultural utility vehicles.

For instance, the entire switching

surface had to be exchanged after

every change of system with a

machine manu facturer for food

production. Together with UCD+

the switching system was exchanged

for a large display with a

touch-based user interface. Now

only the user interface has to be

exchanged per software update

during any change of production

system, instead of exchanging the

complete switching system.

“We are more at home in the

world of engineers than in the

colourful world of advertising.

User-friendliness is the DNA of

our company. Our solutions

always follow the three classic

pillars of good usability: effectiveness,

efficiency and satisfaction

during utilisation. The

interdisciplinary 15-person team

from UCD+ consists of usability

experts, programmers, engineers,

designers and project managers.

There are also close connections

with partner enterprises. In addition

to Magdeburg, the agency

has a branch office in Berlin.

www.ucdplus.com

www.ollendorf.biz

“The demands of

customers on a

new pair of eyeglasses

are high. As a manufacturer

of ocular optical

measuring instruments

we stand by our responsibility

and see ourselves

as committed to innovations.

With UCD+ we

have found a partner

that has shown us technical

possibilities which

delight our customers

and at the same time

significantly improves our

position on the market.”

FUTURE : MARKET OF THE FUTURE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

12 13

MARKET OF THE FUTURE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY : START-UP

FRESH THINKING IN GOOD TIME

CLEVER IT-SOLUTIONS FROM SAXONY-ANHALT

A PLAYFUL APPROACH TO NEW PATHS:

START-UPS FROM SAXONY-ANHALT

MARMALADE GMBH | www.marmalade.de

The company marmalade GmbH in Magdeburg designs the shop windows of tomorrow:

it develops individual web solutions for its customers. In this area, it focuses on online shops

and how they can be a success.

The basis for the work of marmalade GmbH is Open Source software such as OXID eShop, Shopware

or Elasticsearch. To this end, the team has developed its own additional modules: search, online

marketing and content commerce solutions are available. With the use of “TOXID”, online shop and

conventional home pages can be merged easily to create a single platform. This makes the purchase

more user-friendly and – at no extra cost – more attractive for the customer. Be careful: encourages

shopping!

AV-TEST GMBH | www.av-test.org/en

Nobody volunteers to download viruses on their computer. Well, nobody apart from the

Magdeburg institute AV-Test GmbH. Since 2004, this company has been analysing the latest

malware and is publishing test results on IT security.

In Magdeburg, some 300 client and server systems with more than 1,000 terabytes of data material

are used for research purposes alone. How many spam messages are currently being sent? Does an

anti-virus program trigger too many unnecessary alerts? Are the data being sufficiently stored in a

cloud? These are some of the questions to be addressed by AV-Test. The independent institute is a

bit like a police force for data: criticism from AV-Test means that it is time for a software manufacturer

to make some upgrades.

THE TASC PROJECT | www.uni-magdeburg.de/en

Strokes are the biggest cause of disabilities and the second most frequent cause of death

worldwide. The correct treatment at a specialist hospital within 4 and a half hours could

save many patients.

In rural areas in particular, that is practically impossible, however. That’s why neurologists, engineers

and economists have together embarked on a search for telemedicine solutions: in the scope of

the TASC (Telemedical Acute Stroke Care) project, several clinics were able to obtain remote support

from a “Stroke Unit”, a specialist ward for strokes. The network is now integrated in the general

healthcare as TASC-SAN and includes hospitals at ten locations in Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony.

TINKERTOYS GBR

The toy that you dreamed of –

with TinkerToys it becomes a reality.

Where is the best place for a department store

to present its products? What exhibit proved to

be the most popular at a museum exhibition?

INABE has the answers. The start-up company

focuses on alternative approaches to navigation

and creates movement profiles.

Because GPS frequently fails indoors, INABE is

focusing on a new type of Beacon technology.

The user is able to access a variety of different

map views on their smart phone. On the basis of

so-called “Augmented Reality”, images from the

local area are enhanced with helpful information.

The Deutsche Bahn has already expressed interest.

Together with the Halle-based company, it has explored

solutions as to how passengers can find the

right platform or the seat that they have reserved

in the most convenient way. | www.inabe.de

Parents find it increasingly important that their

children can develop freely at a young age. Their

personal talents should also be supported during

their hours of play. Yet where is it possible to find

individual toys that are as unique as the children

who play with them? At Tinker Toys GbR.

The Magdeburg-based company draws its inspiration

from the genuine toy experts: the children

themselves. They develop their favourite toys with

a self-developed CAD software package. It then

becomes a reality on a layer-by-layer basis in a 3D

printer – thanks to so-called rapid prototyping. The

material is a recyclable plastic made from cornflour.

Tinker Toys was founded in 2014 at the Fabricational

Laboratory (FabLab) incubator at the University of

Magdeburg. The first branch in Leipzig is set to follow

soon. | www.tinkertoys.de

INABE UG

The INABE team knows how to

get there.

BREAKTHROUGH : MARKET OF THE FUTURE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

14 15

MARKET OF THE FUTURE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY : KEY FIGURES

INTO THE FUTURE WITH INTELLIGENCE:

RESEARCHERS FROM SAXONY-ANHALT PROVIDE IMPETUS

CROWD ROBOTICS

Sanaz Mostaghim, Otto von

Guericke University Magdeburg.

Emergency call boxes on motorways save lives

after accidents. In the future, they could prevent

accidents as well: several project partners from

Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony are working on

equipping them with intelligent systems – in the

form of radio modules that communicate with cars.

“Equipping emergency callboxes for V21 communication

on motorways” (in German, ANIKA), is the name

of the unique, Europe-wide project. Traffic situation

data is gathered anonymously and precise information

is exchanged. ANIKA aims to warn drivers

of risks due to traffic jams, weather or wrong-way

drivers. A demonstration trial has been under way

since 2014. Further trials on the “A9 motorway digital

test field” are also planned. The long-term goal is

to equip all of the 16,000 emergency call boxes in

Germany. | www.galileo.ovgu.de

“Crowd intelligence” is a collective learning

process: in a crowd of individuals, a process of

self-organisation takes place. But how? This is

something that is being researched by a working

group at the University of Magdeburg under the

leadership of Prof. Dr. Sanaz Mostaghim.

The IT experts are working on sophisticated networked

technical systems according to the example

of insects or flocks of birds. In a laboratory, more

than 100 drones are being programmed to fly in a

formation like starlings. Systems of this kind are

gaining in importance in the area of disaster prevention,

for example, for the purpose of gathering

data or retrieving objects. The Magdeburg team is

also analysing the way in which people behave in a

crowd, creating computer simulations and developing

algorithms. | www.is.ovgu.de

ANIKA

A trial run previously took place

in April 2015.

SUCCESS IN

NUMBERS:

DID YOU

KNOW?

Provision of

services in the areas

of information and

communications

technology in the

past five years:

Development of

turnover + 57 %

Employees

+ 6.4 %

The export quota of

the sector in 2014 was

which is considerably

higher than the industry

average for Saxony-

Anhalt (28.3 %)

than14.000

people are currently employed in the IT sector

in Saxony-Anhalt.

3.000 Some young

In 2014, the total

turnover of the IT sector

in Saxony-Anhalt

amounted to some

2.2 bn. EUR

More than

500

IT companies have

chosen to make Saxony-

Anhalt their home.

47% of those

employed in the IT

sector work in the

area of software and

services.

Manufacturing of

data processing

equipment, electronic

and visual

products over the

last ten years:

Increase in turnover

+ 84 %

Employees

+ 63 %

In the last 15 years,

projects from

the area of

service provision

in the information technology

sector, with a total investment

volume of 292.8 million EUR,

have been awarded financial

support to the value of 39.2

million EUR.

people are studying

IT-specific courses at the local universities.

PODIUM : MARKET OF THE FUTURE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

CONTACTS:

EXPERTISE IN RESEARCH AND NETWORKS

16 17

THE NETWORK IN

THE BACKGROUND

RELATION

THE SAP COMPETENCE CENTER

UNIVERSITIES

AND NON-

UNIVERSITY

RESEARCH

ORGANISATIONS

Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (OvGU), Faculty of Information

Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information

Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Humanities

Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and

Automation IFF, Magdeburg

www.inf.ovgu.de;

www.eit.ovgu.de; www.fmb.ovgu.de;

www.hw.ovgu.de

www.iff.fraunhofer.de/en

IN MAGDEBURG LINKS

SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY

Max Planck Institute for Dynamic Complex

Technical Systems, Magdeburg

www.mpi-magdeburg.mpg.de

Merseburg University of Applied Sciences

www.hs-merseburg.de/en

Anhalt University of Applied Sciences

www.hs-anhalt.com

Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences

www.hs-magdeburg.de/en

TRANSFER

AND RESEARCH

CENTRES

METOP GmbH Magdeburg

Institute for Automation and Communication e. V. (ifak),

Magdeburg

www.metop.de

www.ifak.eu/de

tti Magdeburg GmbH

www.tti-md.de/en

Special purpose association for supporting mechanical

and plant engineering in Saxony-Anhalt e. V.

www.fasa-ev.de

CLUSTERS

AND

NETWORKS

Central Germany Cluster for Information Technology (IT) e. V.

Association of the IT and Multimedia Industry, Saxony-Anhalt

www.it-mitteldeutschland.de

www.vitm.org

No shortage of storage space:

the servers in the SAP competence

center.

RELATION

FOR THE GERMAN SAP SE it is part of social commitment

that it provides educational institutions

with their own software. But since the programmes

are highly complex and “the training period is not

comparable with that from Excel”, as Weidner puts

it, the respective lecturers readily fall back on the

know-how of competence centres.

18 19 HIT EXPORT

A MAJOR SEARCH

FROM THE BEGINNING

Stefan Weidner (l.) and

Prof. Dr. Klaus Turowski (r.)

“We are one of Magdeburg’s greatest secrets”,

says Stefan Weidner. Because hardly anyone

knows: the world’s largest SAP University

Competence Center (SAP UCC) is located at

Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg.

It operates SAP systems for about 500 institutions

ranging from vocational school to

elite university and from research institute

to industrial partners.

COMMERCIAL MANAGER Stefan Weidner helped

to develop the UCC. It was opened in 2001 by the

founding partners SAP, Hewlett-Packard (HP), T-

Systems and Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg.

The services not only include the technical

operation. UCC also creates learning material, offers

training courses and provides support. That is to say,

end users in Europe, Africa and the Arabic region

can can turn to the team comprised of more than

20 people in Magdeburg in case of questions and

problems.

FACTS

SAP SE IS THE WORLD MARKET

LEADER for business software with

headquarters in Walldorf in Baden-

Württemberg. It has more than

269,000 customers worldwide.

GLOBAL RESEARCH, training and

co-innovation are promoted with

the latest technology via a total of

six SAP competence centres.

“We are responsible for one fourth of the customers

in the SAP educational network.” The Magdeburg

UCC indirectly reaches approximately a quarter

of a million students in more than 50 countries,

calculates Stefan Weidner. They use the same

software as major corporate groups and are trained

in practice-relevant technologies. On the other

hand, UCC works together with companies on innovations.

It contributes to the fact that industry and

science are better interconnected.

TOGETHER WITH HP for instance, intelligent operating

concepts were developed and a separate cloud

data processing centre was converted to a water

cooling system. This reference installation shows

HP’s industrial customers how energy costs can be

lowered by up to 40 percent.

The cooperation with founding partner T-Systems

also runs on an equal footing. Among other things,

UCC organises advanced training courses for the

company. The IT competence at the university

played an important role in the selection of the

nearby town Biere as the site for a new data processing

centre.

SINCE 2014 THE MAGDEBURG SPECIALISTS have also

acquired the status of a “big data innovation centre”.

Project inquiries come on a regular basis from the

most varying fields, such as the optimal maintenance

of offshore wind turbines via Industry 4.0 scenarios as

well as efficient analysis of climatic data.

TWO OF THESE CENTRES are located

in the SAP University Alliances network

in Germany. The SAP UCC in

Magdeburg is the largest with more

than 500 customers.

A sea of data floods the world. But Stefan

Groschupf and his team are working on

clearing this situation up. They want to provide

companies with a simple instrument

with which they can quickly and effectively

utilise data: the big data solution known as

“Datameer” is like an angel, but cleverer.

“DEMOCRATISATION OF DATA ANALYSIS” – that is

how Stefan Groschupf calls his large-scale project,

which defnitely has the potential to become a life.

At age 19 the autodidact programmed a search

catalogue for the university library in his hometown

Halle (Saale). Later he actually wanted to develop

a new Internet search engine based on the framework

of the “Hadoop” programme. The software

and the company Datameer emerged from this. It

specialises in the analysis of big data. The slogan is

“stay curious”.

DATAMEER can detect trends in large volumes of

data in real time, yet to do so the user requires almost

as little expertise as with the keyword search

via Google. A world first! Ready cash for companies

which want to analyse their own datasets in a

market-effective manner. A treasure that only had

to be raised from the tides!

In 2009 Groschupf looked for investors in California’s

Silicon Valley – and quickly struck a bonanza. At the

latest in 2011 he made his first big waves as financial

investor “Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers” leaped

into the fray with 9.25 million US dollars. After that

Datameer brought other backers on board. A total

of 76.8 million dollars have been invested to date.

Datameer has hundreds of clients and 175 employees

worldwide.

THE CONSTANTLY GROWING TEAM of developers

is still located in Halle with about 60 clever minds.

“You can find real potential in this city”, says Chief

Executive Officer Stefan Groschupf. He is someone

who should know.

www.datameer.com

The team led by Stefan Groschupf is growing

and growing – and deals with big data.

WAYS AND MEANS

20 21 WINNERS

A BIG ADVANTAGE

FOR THE SMALL

PLAYERS

Growth requires investments. Yet it is here

that German companies are currently

falling short. For this reason, the government

of the federal state of Saxony-

Anhalt has adapted its guidelines for the most

wide-ranging and widely used funding instrument:

the funding available to companies as part of the

“Common Task for the Improvement of the Regional

Economic Structure” (in German, the “GRW”).

Who can benefit from the GRW financial support?

STEFANIE PÖTZSCH: The GRW is attractive for

almost all commercial businesses, but particularly

small and medium sized businesses. It supports

companies which establish or extend independent

or dependent operations in Saxony-Anhalt or which

make changes to their manufacturing or offers here.

What kind of financial support is on offer exactly?

STEFANIE PÖTZSCH: The financial support is available

for investments in fixed assets over a period of

up to three years.

MONIKA EBERHARDT: The wage costs can also be

subsidised for two years. The rate of support is 15

percent of the specified wage costs, but this can

also be increased under certain conditions.

Why do small businesses benefit to a

particular degree?

STEFANIE PÖTZSCH: Above all else, because of the

rates of support: for small companies, the subsidy

can amount to 35 percent of the fixed asset investments

eligible for subsidy, for medium sized companies,

up to 25 percent, and for other companies, up

to 15 percent. For many companies, this kind of help

is indispensable.

STEFANIE PÖTZSCH

Group Leader of the Investment and Market

Department at the Investment Bank Saxony-Anhalt

MONIKA EBERHARDT

Employee in the Investment and Market

Department at the Investment Bank Saxony-Anhalt

MONIKA EBERHARDT: But remember: the documentation

always needs to be submitted first before

the project can get under way.

What has changed in 2015?

STEFANIE PÖTZSCH: In 2015, we took another close

look at everything: what do the companies in our

federal state actually need? Since then, it hasn’t just

been projects which create new jobs that have been

supported. Support is available to companies which

secure existing jobs for the long term as well. Moreover,

the minimum investment volume now totals

just 50,000 Euros rather than 70,000 Euros. This

represents another benefit for small businesses.

How can I find out if my application is worthwhile?

MONIKA EBERHARDT: Here at the Investment Bank,

we will be pleased to provide you with individual

advice, including about future changes to the support

programme. For example, the printed materials,

construction materials production and wholesale

sectors have also been included.

INNOVATIVE SUCCESS STORIES

WINNERS OF THE BESTFORM ADVANCEMENT AWARD 2015

FAKTOR M AND SENSOMOTORIC INSTRUMENTS

TOPIC: Sports glasses with eye tracking system

On behalf of SensoMotoric Instruments, the Magdeburg-based industrial

designers “faktor m – office for design and construction” have developed a

pair of high-tech sports glasses with an ETG system which is undergoing continuous

further development. The production process allows for the frames of

the glasses to be adapted within a few days. This means that the glasses are

already significantly lighter and smaller.

www.faktor-m.de

WINNER OF THE AURA 2015

RELAXDAYS GMBH

TOPIC: Internet trading with social responsibility

As the first winning company from the area of E-Commerce, in 2015, the award

went to the Halle company Relaxdays GmbH. Successful managing director

Martin Menz, who is just 30 years old, doesn’t only stand for an offer of 3,000

items from the areas of house, garden and leisure though. He has also created

70 jobs in Halle, and hires his employees with socially aware criteria in mind.

www.relaxdays.de

WINNER OF THE “MOST INNOVATIVE ALLIANCE” HUGO-JUNKERS-PRIZE 2015

FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE FOR MICROSTRUCTURE OF MATERIALS AND SYS-

TEMS IMWS AND MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE OF MICROSTRUCTURE PHYSICS

TOPIC: Error detection with the use of lock-in thermography

Highly integrated construction elements in the area of microelectronics contain

several stacked 3D semi-conductor chips with millions of individual transistors.

How are the errors in them found? With high sensitivity thermal imaging technology

developed in an alliance between the Fraunhofer Institute for the Microstructure

of Materials and Systems IMWS (formerly the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics

of Materials IWM) and the Max Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics.

www.imws.fraunhofer.de/en

ENCORE

ATTRACTIVE:

Saxony-Anhalt’s moderate

cost structure ensures competitive

advantages for every

investor: At approx. 13 Euros

the average price per square

metre for a fully developed

industrial zone is substantially

below the German average.

The rate of funding that is

available to support wage

costs amounts to up to 10%

of the specified wage costs.

OPTIMAL:

Saxony-Anhalt has the highest

funding rates in Germany. Small

companies are funded up to

30%, medium-sized ones up to

20% and large ones up to 10%.

FAST:

The IMG acts as a one-stop

agency; fast decision-making

channels and realisation periods

will facilitate your market entry

in Saxony-Anhalt.

2,000 KM 1,000 KM 500 KM

SAXONY-ANHALT

GERMANY

YOUR CONTACT:

PUBLISHER:

Investment and Marketing Corporation

Saxony-Anhalt

Am Alten Theater 6

39104 Magdeburg (Germany)

Tel. +49 391 56899 - 0

www.invest-in-saxony-anhalt.com

welcome@img-sachsen-anhalt.de

Ministry of Sciences and Economic Affairs

of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt

Hasselbachstraße 4

39104 Magdeburg (Germany)

Tel. +49 391 5674316

www.mw.sachsen-anhalt.de

presse@mw.sachsen-anhalt.de

Our support in the search for a site, in funding and financing, in dealing with public authorities, and project

realisation is free of charge for you, and is treated with absolute confidentiality. Allow yourself to be assisted by

IMG Saxony-Anhalt, one of the best regional economic development agencies in Western Europe, which was

once again the recipient of the “Top Investment Promotion Agency Award” of Conway Data Inc. in 2016.

Concept, design, graphics: genese werbeagentur gmbh, Magdeburg /// Text: Wortschatz copy writing service /// Press date: Januar 2016 /// First edition; Subject to revision /// Printing and

further processing: Stelzig-Druck printing service, Magdeburg /// Picture credits: Archive of the Investment and Marketing Corporation Saxony-Anhalt mbH, ANIKA-1 consortium, Datameer/

Clifford Grodin, Harald Krieg, INABE UG, Stefan Berger, TinkerToys, UCD+ /// The use of this publication for the purposes of commercial sale, particularly the sale of addresses to third parties, or

for reprinting – whether in whole or part – is prohibited.