A strong signal for Bremen and the industry of tomorrow
It is May 2, 2000 when the first three employees of engenion GmbH & Co KG, which is still in the process of being founded, start their working day. They still don’t have much to go on: three sublet offices, a few computers and the task of developing a digital solution for configuring drive systems. Plus a vague idea for a business model and (at least) fast internet.
Fast forward 25 years and we see a completely different scene: the tiny “technology hut” from back then has become a European market leader for digital solutions in the field of CPQ and product configuration – with over 300 employees and a strong innovation ecosystem in the immediate vicinity. This was made possible by great team spirit, incredible passion and unbelievable commitment that overcame all adversity.
At our anniversary celebration “GRAND HORIZON: Ready for the industry of tomorrow” on May 21, 2025, we proudly honored the last 25 years of innovation and growth at encoway.
At the same time, we focused on current challenges and the future of German industry: our more than 200 anniversary guests experienced a comprehensive specialist program on the industry of tomorrow.
Joint Impetus for the digital transformation of SMEs
To mark our 25th anniversary, we wanted to use our “GRAND HORIZON: Ready for the industry of tomorrow” program to provide impetus for tackling the major challenges facing SMEs: Especially for medium-sized industrial companies, digital transformation is a decisive factor for competitiveness and offers enormous opportunities – for example through smart production or data-based services. At the same time, they often lack the financial resources, suitable specialists or a clearly formulated digital strategy to successfully implement the transformation.
On May 21, we presented a diverse specialist program to our corporate customers and partners as well as leading representatives from business, politics and science: In presentations, innovation shows and workshops, at interactive stands and in networking formats, we demonstrated how digital solutions strengthen the competitiveness of German industry. We focused on the topic of open innovation, i.e. the collaborative development of solutions across company boundaries. The GRAND HORIZON was held at encoway’s innovation center and headquarters, the DIGITAL HUB INDUSTRY, where we actively promote the exchange of knowledge and resources as a key concept for digital transformation.
“The DIGITAL HUB INDUSTRY is encoway’s learning cast in concrete on how to shape ‘open innovation’. An active transfer of knowledge and technology takes place here in an ecosystem of diverse players.”
Opening laudation
Christoph Ranze
Top-class keynotes, networking and a look behind the scenes
At the GRAND OPENING, our encoway CEO Christoph Ranze emphasized the importance of shared visions. Kristina Vogt, Senator for Economics, Ports and Transformation, then paid tribute to encoway as one of the key players in the digital economy in Bremen and the DACH region.
In exciting keynotes, experts such as Steffen Winkler, CSO of the Automation business unit at Bosch Rexroth, Sarat Maitin, Managing Director at Accenture, and Prof. Dr. Stephan Friedrich von den Eichen, Managing Partner at IMP Consulting, showed how CPQ, AI and active partnerships are transforming mechanical engineering and industrial processes.
In addition to the latest encoway solutions from the areas of high-level CPQ and our new product-to-market solution, our guests also gained insights into ongoing open innovation projects from our innovation lab DOCK ONE and into the ecosystem of the DIGITAL HUB INDUSTRY. At the C-Level Networking with IMP Consulting, industry executives exchanged views on the topics of “Open Strategy” and “Open Innovation”.
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“encoway is one of those melting pots where different perspectives and requirements come together. A mixture of technology, impetus, innovation and networking – that’s what makes it so exciting here.”
Stephan Frigge, Executive Vice President PHOENIX CONTACT
GRAND DINNER at the Weser Stadium
The festive finale to our anniversary celebration was a dinner in the Matthäi Skylounge at the Weser Stadium in Bremen – a venue with an extraordinary flair. After a keynote speech by Lenze CEO Marc Wucherer, we enjoyed the view of the pitch in the evening light and celebrated in a relaxed atmosphere. Close-up magician Carsten Böttcher provided amazement and laughter as he completely captivated us with a magical program.
Strong for tomorrow – an anniversary that will be remembered
We are still overwhelmed by the great impressions of our anniversary celebration. We would like to thank all our guests and contributors – not only for their active participation at the GRAND HORIZON on May 21, but also for the positive feedback on our event and the various anniversary congratulations that have reached us in different ways. We feel strengthened and look forward to continuing on this path together with our customers and partners. Here’s to the next 25 years!