The HARTING Technology Group from Espelkamp is a prime example of the innovative strength of Germany's small and medium-sized enterprises. For more than 80 years, HARTING has been developing technologies for people: initially everyday electrical appliances such as irons and firelighters, and now, for many years, industrial connection technology for the transmission of signals, data, and power. Innovation has always been part of the company's corporate responsibility and development. Today, the company employs approximately 6,100 people worldwide and is specifically promoting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies in industrial product development. One example is the "Connectivity AI" platform, for which the company received the "FREDDIE Industrial AI Award." With this platform, HARTING demonstrates how AI, generative design, and simulation can be integrated meaningfully into design processes to efficiently develop new product ideas.
In this interview, Norbert Gemmeke, Senior Vice President of Global Product Development, Project Management, and Innovation, talks about how industrial tradition and technological innovation can be combined, the role AI plays for industrial companies, and the opportunities that digitalization of industry offers for NRW as a business location.
For over 80 years, HARTING has been synonymous with technical innovation and continuous development. What motivates you personally to keep developing new things in a traditional family business?
The tension between tradition and vision is precisely what makes German SMEs so special. Innovations have always been born here because companies are still shaped by people and their ideas. This is what drives my colleagues and me: the opportunity to contribute ideas and see how they evolve. This applies to classic product ideas, efficient processes, and intelligent tools alike.
HARTING has developed an AI-based platform called "Connectivity AI" that was recently honored as a "game changer." Could you tell us more about Connectivity AI? At what point in industrial development and production processes does the solution come into play?
The application was developed based on the idea of translating customer requirements into prototypes or market-ready products even more quickly. Purely manual specification and design processes are lengthy and go through numerous test loops. The longer the process, the more prone to error it becomes. Connectivity AI supports our product managers and developers right from the start. It enables engineers to enter, document, and reuse technical requirements in natural language. The AI then converts this into drawings, 3D models, and simulations. It also trains itself simultaneously. The results are, of course, specific to our development process and customers' requirements.
Connectivity AI is a prime example of technological change at HARTING. What other technological innovations are you currently developing to ensure the company's continuous development and future success?
Industrial connection technology must be compact, robust, powerful, and flexible. Only through standardization can different automation devices, machines, and entire systems be equipped and expanded flexibly. The modular HARTING Han® connector has achieved this without being standardized. Connectors for Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) and battery storage provide consistent connection concepts for various automation sectors of the All Electric Society, both now and in the future. Our innovations in data and power transmission contribute to the realization of a CO2-neutral, electrified, and digitized society.
The state of NRW has traditionally been heavily influenced by industry. What opportunities does this present to companies like HARTING for developing future technologies?
With regional competence networks such as it's OWL and funded clusters of excellence such as PhenoRob2, as well as major universities and higher education institutions in cities like Aachen, Cologne, and Münster, NRW offers excellent structural conditions. Additionally, large companies are present in traditionally strong sectors such as industry and chemicals. These factors provide young people and experienced professionals in a variety of fields with the opportunity to contribute to the development of future technologies. HARTING benefits from this as well, of course, in both recruiting and research and development.