E3 Category: Coverstory 20-06

Interview: Open and flexible: The Forcam solution ideally complements the SAP world: Uncertainty in the markets, potential through IT platforms, the importance of partner marketplaces and why machines could also tweet - a conversation with Oliver Hoffmann, Co-CEO at Forcam and responsible for global sales.

Manufacturing companies face an apparent IT dilemma: They need innovative solutions to remain competitive. At the same time, production must continue with inventory machines and inventory IT. The solution lies in intelligent, adaptable platform IT.

There are many buzzwords for the revolution in manufacturing, production and commerce. The best collective term is still Industry 4.0 and IIoT, the Industrial Internet of Things. Whether evolution, revolution or digitization - the fact is that this transformation is challenging, comprehensive and sustainable. The classic SAP existing customer needs optimal support for this. Forcam is a leading IIoT/Industry 4.0 provider...

The consequences of the Covid 19 pandemic are creating new priorities on executive floors. Digitization is part of the solution. But the basic principle remains: The digital transformation will only succeed according to the formula "First motivate people, then optimize machines.

Interview: Today, the right technology platform determines future viability: Interview with Dietmar Hopp on the competitiveness of manufacturing companies and his view of factory IT in the 21st century. Dietmar Hopp was a co-founder of SAP in 1972. He has held a stake in Forcam since 2004 and took over the majority in 2019.