CONTACT Software’s modular platform— CONTACT Elements for IoT—is transforming how businesses harness the power of their data.

IoT devices—sensors in manufacturing plants, smart meters used by utilities or logistics trackers—produce vast amounts of data every day. Many businesses struggle to manage this influx effectively. The result is often fragmented, underutilised information that fails to deliver its full value.

CONTACT Elements for IoT bridges this gap by turning raw, disconnected data into cohesive and actionable insights. Acting as a powerful enterprise asset management solution, the platform empowers businesses to streamline their operations, make data-driven decisions and fully capitalise on their IoT investments.

“Whether it’s managing heavy machinery in industrial environments or tracking detailed, hierarchical asset structures, our platform can be tailored to meet the specific needs of any operation,” explains Kilian Baechle, product manager for IoT. “With this, companies can drive growth and efficiency in an increasingly data-driven world, no longer burdened by the complexity of their data, but empowered by it.”

CONTACT Elements for IoT is not just a tool; it’s a transformative platform with two different user functions—Smart Factory and Smart Service.

On the Smart Factory side, the platform’s comprehensive manufacturing execution system (MES) tools integrate IoT data directly into production processes. This real-time connection between IoT and manufacturing execution allows businesses to improve the uptime and availability of factory assets and enhance overall equipment efficiency (OEE). The result is a factory that operates at its maximum production capacity, with streamlined workflows and continuous improvements at every step.

Central to this enhanced operation is the use of digital twin technology, which plays a transformative role in smart factory environments. Digital twins offer a highly detailed, accurate reflection of real-world assets—as simple as a serial number or as complex as a 3D model of industrial machinery.

As each modification is documented throughout an asset’s lifecycle, businesses receive a precise record of its condition, service history and spare parts management. By mirroring the physical machine’s capabilities without over-simulation, digital twins allow for a more reliable and efficient asset management process.

The power of CONTACT Elements extends beyond manufacturing to product development, especially in industries like automotive and heavy industrial machinery. By managing complex product structures and generating precise bills of materials, the platform facilitates the creation of digital twins that track every detail of a product’s lifecycle. From ensuring regulatory compliance to optimising performance, digital twins provide a holistic view that allows companies to continuously monitor and improve products. An interconnected approach to product management and factory operations ensures businesses can innovate and maximise efficiency across their entire production ecosystem.

Whether it’s managing heavy machinery in industrial environments or tracking detailed, hierarchical asset structures, our platform can be tailored to meet the specific needs of any operation

“It’s a story of integration, where businesses not only streamline their internal processes but extend that efficiency outward, building lasting relationships with their customers,” adds Baechle.

A prime example comes from thyssenkrupp, a global leader in industrial machinery manufacturing, which faced the complex challenge of managing production across multiple worldwide locations. It required a solution that would provide real-time transparency and help optimise its shopfloor management processes. By implementing CONTACT Elements as its MES, thyssenkrupp centralised data from its global sites into a single platform, enabling real-time insights into operational efficiency. This allowed thyssenkrupp to compare equipment performance across locations, identifying areas for improvement and driving an increase in annual productivity. Given thyssenkrupp’s impressive production scale—around 30 million parts per year—even minor optimisations led to significant enhancements across their operations.

As industries move toward smart, connected factories, CONTACT Elements stands out as a robust and future-proof solution. Whether improving global production oversight or enhancing machine maintenance, the platform enables companies to adapt to the evolving demands of modern manufacturing, ensuring they remain competitive and efficient in an increasingly connected world.