IF Digital Award | Advancing digital transformation

Digitalization presents the industry with major challenges - and at the same time opens up enormous opportunities. The IF Digital Award will be presented for the first time at SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN 2025 (September 15 to 19). This award recognizes outstanding digital solutions that sustainably advance the industry. Igor Mikulina, President of the IFF Foundation Council, Christina Kleinpaß, Project Manager of SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN, and Jens Jerzembeck, Head of Research and Technology at DVS, will talk about how SMEs can successfully master the digital transformation.

In addition to rising energy prices and a decline in orders, Igor Mikulina sees digitalization as a key challenge for the industry. This is where the IndustryFusion Foundation comes in: With IndustryFusion-X, it is developing a globally usable, open infrastructure that supports companies in making their production processes fit for the future.

As a leading international trade fair, SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN is a central platform for innovations. The IF Digital Award, which will be presented for the first time in 2025, honors pioneering digital products and processes that drive the industry forward. Designed as an audience award, it gives trade fair visitors the opportunity to vote for the digital solutions that offer the greatest benefits in practice.

IndustryFusion-X: A milestone for SMEs

A central goal of the IndustryFusion Foundation is the development of an open, cross-manufacturer infrastructure for intelligent, networked production. "Many SMEs are faced with the challenge that existing solutions are often expensive and complex," explains Mikulina. "With IndustryFusion-X, we are creating a platform that also enables medium-sized companies to digitize their production efficiently and securely - without giving up their data sovereignty."

Major IT companies such as Intel, Dell and IONOS have recognized the potential of this open solution and are supporting its implementation. "We are on the verge of realizing IndustryFusion-X - a platform that offers immediate added value even for SMEs without extensive IT expertise."

The IndustryFusion Foundation's Open Source Summit, which will take place for the first time on the first day of SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN in Essen, underlines the importance of digital transformation for the industry. "We are bringing mechanical engineering and IT together to jointly enable new business models - from equipment as a service to shared production."

The motto of SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN 2025 is "Join the Future" - and the IndustryFusion Foundation is determined to play an active role in shaping this path.

Read the entire interview here.