30 years of Industrie Informatik
A brief step back into the company’s successful history
30 years of Industrie Informatik – that’s an anniversary we can all be proud of:
Founders, employees, partners and customers alike who have been on this journey together, making Industrie Informatik the strong digitalization partner it is today. And for this, we owe you a big thank you!
The early days
Lets’ take a trip back in time to the early days, to the end of the 1980s: In those days, manufacturing processes involved virtually no IT: It was the age of paper manufacturing; planning was carried out using pegboards, replies were made by telephone, whilst a few progressive companies used hardware terminals for reporting in the first Plant data collection or PPS systems. The period also saw the launch of the first electronic planning boards.
Against this backdrop, Industrie Informatik was founded in 1991 by a small team with a big vision: to establish standard software in industrial settings. This innovative direction has persisted until today. Right from the start, we have managed to win over prestigious customers such as Umdasch/Doka and MIBA who have been important drivers of the development of the company and its products. The major decisions regarding basic technologies were made as early as the 1990s and Industrie Informatik has aimed for industry standards from the outset. Even then, our solution was unique in the market: Using MS-DOS computers, we accessed a control panel via a relational database for the first time. Currently much more important for our customers: The cronetworld platform technology ensures Industrie Informatik’s continued position as a company which is fully in tune with the times.
Important milestones
When it launched its cronetwork product family in 1998, Industrie Informatik assumed a clear position as an MES manufacturer for discrete production. In the year 2000, the Scheduling Board became the centerpiece of the MES solution cronetwork: After many years of successful partnership, Industrie Informatik acquired the first database-oriented control panel FI-2 from IDS Scheer and has since been developing it functionally and technologically under the name cronetwork Scheduling Board — in 2021, for example, we introduced the AI-supported scheduling algorithms of the next generation, the Optimizer.
Another milestone in our history was the establishment of the first German site in 2003. In 2012, we continued our internationalization with the opening of our subsidiary in China. Today, Industrie Informatik provides global customer service in 6 locations.
From Plant Data Collection to Smart Factory
In the last 10 years, the market has been characterized predominantly by buzzwords such as ‘Industry 4.o‘ or ‘Smart Factory‘ which marked the start of the age of digitalization and the replacement of the automation pyramid.
This involved major functional and technological developments for our software solutions, such as:
- User-specific analyses using PIDO
- Individualization through Portal & Low Code
- Real Time Integration via Manufacturing Service Bus and Gateway
- Manufacturing platform cronetworld as a digital eco system
- Artificial Intelligence & Predictive Analytics
Management with handshake quality
Throughout the decades, founding members and managing partners Herbert Parnreiter and Thomas Krainz have set the course for the company’s success, shaping it with their visions and ideas and, not least, their courage and commitment.
Industrie Informatik has made some changes in the management and ownership structure of the company in the past years, enabling it to secure a sustainable organization structure for the future challenges facing the MES market. The company’s strategic development was assigned to Markus Zalud as Chief Executive Officer, Bernd Steinbrenner as Chief Commercial Officer, Markus Mayrhofer as Chief Operating Officer and Bernhard Falkner as Chief Technology Officer who had already held the position of Managing Director since 2012. While the long-standing Managing Director Thomas Krainz has focused his key responsibilities to the strategy product management as a Member of the Board, Eckhard Winter’s main tasks are now in the area of Business Development & Strategic Alliances.
Status Quo
Industrie Informatik now has over 130 employees and has grown into a professional medium-sized company. As a manufacturer of a release-ready MES standard software for discrete manufacturing, we support our clients’ individual strengths and make a lasting contribution for their sustainable efficiency enhancement. We look forward to continuing with the next chapter on our road to success with innovation and commitment to make sure our solutions are fully prepared for the industrial requirements of the future.
THANK YOU for your trust!
For a detailed journey through time to the most significant stages of our development, please see our history as we are unable to fully do them justice here.
The success story ranges from the development of the first software terminal with Oracle® access under MS-DOS 1992 (left image) and later under Windows (center image) to cronetworld which enables the merging and orchestration of all production-related software systems, technologies and applications to a 360-degree manufacturing platform (right image).
I am repeatedly asked about the ingredients of our success. A significant element is without doubt our product philosophy which, from the outset, has been built on cornerstones such as integration of software terminal and scheduling board, based on relational databases, industrial standards and user orientation and set us apart from the competition. What is currently taken for granted by many, used to build the foundation of our present success. Our focus on user benefit has been the main factor in preparing us for topics such as smart factory and platform technology. Besides all of our products and developments, however, there is one crucial factor for success: our highly trained, experienced employees! Even at department head level, our colleagues have been with Industrie Informatik for an average of 18 years. Not to forget our young, up-and-coming people whose fresh spirit provides us with the drive we need. I wish to thank all our customers, employees and partners who have accompanied us on our journey and have made us what we are today. And so, I am safe in the knowledge that Industrie Informatik will continue to be in good hands during the next 30 years.
Anita Peherstorfer