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.
3
PROFESSION
DATA FOR THE CLOUD
INDUSTRY 4.0 AT
THYSSENKRUPP IN
SCHÖNEBECK
8
POTENTIAL
USABILITY IS
NOT A CLICHÉ
12
FUTURE
FRESH THINKING IN
GOOD TIME
CLEVER IT-SOLUTIONS FROM
SAXONY-ANHALT
HERE
IT CREATES FUTURE.
2
13
START-UP
A PLAYFUL APPROACH
TO NEW PATHS
14
15
16
17
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
20
21
22
22
19
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 ...
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
More
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.