We consolidate questions, share best practices and solve common challenges through our collective power – In departmental exchanges and targeted networking.
Sharing experience & knowledge
Digititalization. Sustainability. Modernization of organizations. Family businesses face the same tasks. 80% of initiatives in functional departments are identical or similar between different companies. In order to solve the important challenges, we connect in a targeted, approachable and effective manner in the specialist areas. We consolidate issues and exchange information openly and consistently.
Using our diverse formats, we engage in exchange exactly as the topic require at that moment. We are a vibrant network that is simply and systematically built on the experiences of other companies – swarm intelligence in action.
functional areas of expertise
exchange formats per year
participants
Targeted networking
Orchestrated expertise: we organize, curate and moderate virtual and physical exchange formats on a daily basis. Functional areas of expertise are purposefully networked and exchange experiences and knowledge, best practices and challenges as well as impulses with each other. The topics are systematically chosen by our members.
Maschinenraum to go
The Maschinenraum Online Community is everything in one: event calendar, newsroom, Wikipedia, address book, networking platform for our members. Here we enlarge our personal network and initiate exchange formats.
Right answers to individual questions
Employees of member companies can ask specific questions from their daily work via our Navigator tool and are connected with relevant contacts from other companies. This way, employees get faster orientation on new topics and can take shortcuts and make better decisions thanks to the assistance of other members.
Examples for typical questions from the departments
After Sales & Service
AI Integration | How can AI enable personalized, proactive, and efficient customer support without losing the human element in service?
Customer Experience | How can customer touchpoints be consolidated in the course of digitalization?
Business Model Development | How can new business models for premium service be established in a market accustomed to free service?
Aftermarket Strategy | How do you develop both a regional and a global strategy?
Communication
Blue Collar Communication | Through which channel and with what approach can blue-collar workers be effectively reached and engaged in communication?
Employee App | How can an employee app help reach all staff, inform them about strategy and vision, and embed these within the company?
Remote Work | How can efficient and clear communication be achieved across diverse communication channels and physical distances?
Brand & Design | How can companies create a rebranding during transformation that integrates old values into the new identity?
Employee Experience
Recruiting | What competencies and skills will companies need in the future to attract talent through recruiting?
Employer Branding | How can companies create an employer brand that is attractive to both internal and external talent?
Workplace IT | How can digital tools be smartly used for HR processes?
Future of Work | How can companies create an attractive workplace, and how will this be utilized in the future?
Finance & Controlling
Controlling | How can complexity in budgeting be reduced?
Financial Accounting | Which digital tools are helpful for optimizing the dunning process?
Digitalization | Which tools can map the purchase-to-pay process in a way that conserves resources and ensures transparency?
Change Management | How can silos within a company be dismantled to establish company-wide KPI monitoring?
Innovation Management
Digital Services | Is it worthwhile for companies in hardware-oriented business sectors to invest in the development of digital services, and what prerequisites must be met?
Foresight & Trend Management | What added value does the use of methods like trend scouting or design thinking offer for generating new product ideas and business models?
Idea Management | What measures have proven effective in increasing employee participation while ensuring the quality of ideas?
AI Utilization | How can AI help accelerate innovation processes, generate new ideas, and support informed decision-making?
IT & Services
IT Security | How can companies best prepare for cyberattacks, and what are the key responses in the event of an attack?
Workplace IT | Which tools and applications are useful, and how can their value be assessed?
AI Integration | How can AI be securely and efficiently integrated into existing IT infrastructures without compromising security and data protection standards?
Business Applications | How can the latest SAP Business Suite be smoothly implemented?
Leadership & Culture
Diversity | How can companies attract female talent for leadership positions?
Leadership Principles | What process can be used to develop authentic and effective leadership principles, and who should be involved in their creation?
Change Management | How can employees be inspired and engaged in the process of transformation?
Agile Leadership | How can leaders support their employees in collaboratively finding the best solutions to challenges?
Legal
AI Guidelines | What legal implications does the use of artificial intelligence have for companies, and what does a meaningful AI policy look like?
CSR | What specific requirements are associated with the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, and how can they be implemented?
Compliance Management | How can a compliance management system be consistently built, and what resources are required?
Patents | What impact does the introduction of the European Unitary Patent have on German SMEs, and how can this topic be successfully communicated within the company?
Logistics
Internationalization | How can international reporting and operations structures be implemented?
Supply Chain Management | How can we make our supply chain resilient in times of global crises?
Digitalization | Which tools and platforms are used for the digitalization of processes?
Sustainability | Is the use of e-mobility in the transport sector sustainable?
Manufacturing
Lean Management | How can companies design an efficient and effective value chain, and how can the transition to lean production be achieved?
Future of Work | How can manufacturing companies adapt to a changing work environment, and which elements of New Work can be applied to production?
Smart Manufacturing | What specific measures can companies take to prepare for the age of Industry 4.0, and which opportunities for intelligent connectivity can be beneficial?
AI Applications | Which tasks in production can be taken over by technologies like artificial intelligence in the future?
Marketing
Corporate identity | How do we further develop our brand in the context of increasing internationalization?
Marketing analytics | Which tools do we use to check the success of our marketing measures and what are suitable KPIs?
Brand & design | Can the brand core of a medium-sized company be transferred into a digital brand experience?
Social media | How can we build up a corporate influencer network within the company?
Operation, Quality & Process
Quality Management | How can acceptance and understanding of the value of management systems be achieved among employees and management?
Risk Management | How can the assessment of risks be made as objective as possible?
Lean Management | How can process optimization and efficiency improvements be achieved across the entire value chain?
Knowledge Management | Which processes and tools support effective knowledge transfer?
Procurement
Supply Chain Due Diligence | How can the necessary know-how be built within the company?
Category Strategy | How can companies achieve better purchasing conditions and make their processes more efficient through a category strategy?
Supplier Network | Can suppliers be integrated into the value creation/development in such a way that a win-win situation can be created?
Risk Management | What are the relevant evaluation criteria for minimizing risks in the event of supply failures?
Product Management
Product Roadmap | How can we incorporate not only traditional products but also services and solutions into our roadmap?
AI Analysis | How can AI optimize the entire product lifecycle from idea generation through development to market launch and adjustment?
Internationalization | What criteria should we use to decide which products should be rolled out in which countries?
Sustainable Products | How can we ensure that our new products not only meet customer requirements but also comply with ESG criteria?
Public Affairs
Ecosystems & Partnerships | How do we identify the right stakeholders and build long-term relationships with them?
Government Relations | How do we represent the interests of German SMEs vis-à-vis politicians?
Association Work | Which memberships are worthwhile, and how do I maintain them?
Cooperations | For which tasks is collaboration with external service providers sensible, and how do I find the right partners?
Research & Development
Project Management | How can we foster an innovation culture in development through a hybrid development process?
Idea Management | Which tool can we use for lean idea management, and how do we promote it across the entire company?
Knowledge Management | How do we establish effective communities of practice in R&D?
Product-Market-Fit | How can we achieve customer-centric development, and how do we structure the organization to support this?
Sales
E-Commerce | What competencies do we need to build and operate an online store?
Digital Business & Product Management | What is the right pricing for digital services?
CRM | How can we ensure the smooth implementation of an enterprise-wide CRM system, and which system is the best fit for the organization?
Digital Sales | How can we adjust our sales strategy to changing market conditions to maximize revenue potential through cross-selling and upselling?
Strategy
Corporate Strategy | What process can best be used to develop a new corporate strategy, and how can employees be involved in this?
Strategy Execution | How can the strategy be implemented successfully, and which tools help track progress?
Sustainability Strategy | How can strategic goals be aligned with the increasing competition and the demands for sustainability?
Foresight & Trend Management | How can working with future scenarios help in developing strategies during times of uncertainty?
Sustainability
Sustainability Strategy | How can the sustainability strategy be integrated into the corporate strategy, and how can its value foundation be anchored in it?
Reporting | What are the KPIs of sustainable businesses and what legislative changes are companies facing?
Sustainable Supply Chain | How can companies build a sustainable supply chain and what needs to be considered in regards to the new supply chain law?
Circular Economy | How can companies participate in the circular economy, build collaborations, and implement circular thinking within the organization?
Venturing
Startup investment & relations | What is the importance of cultural fit for the success of an investment?
Incubation & acceleration | How much time and resources do you need to plan for the development of an independent spin-off?
Venture building | What are the arguments for a consistent exit strategy and in which cases are strategic investments also promising?
Diversification | Which emerging business fields should be explored to secure long-term growth and gain access to new markets?