In the interview with Dr. Gerhard Keller, Managing Director of IPP Process Playbook GmbH
Smaller and medium-sized enterprises often struggle with the interface for data exchange with their customers in the corporate sector, such as Bosch or Siemens or even in the automotive industry, when it comes to placing their new products there. The platforms typically used are relatively expensive. In conversation with Dr. Gerhard Keller, Managing Director of IPP Process Playbook GmbH, we talk today about ipOFTP as an affordable alternative to previous systems.
Decision-makers in brief: From the perspective of smaller and medium-sized enterprises, what is often the biggest obstacle to doing business with really large companies from the mechanical engineering and automotive industries?
Dr. Gerhard Keller: As in all areas of the supplier industry, customers' specifications must be complied with here. Communication is also subject to regulations that are increasingly being demanded even from small industry partners.
Decision-makers in brief: To what extent are the previous OFTP solutions too expensive and too complicated? Weren't they actually created for this very purpose?
Dr. Gerhard Keller: In principle, new service providers have developed in parallel with the industry's requirements in terms of digitalization, providing technical solutions to support data communication. In our opinion, however, the effort required for small suppliers or medium-sized companies to implement data exchange is an disproportionately high cost driver.
Decision-makers in brief: With the new ipOFTP platform, you promise smaller and medium-sized enterprises an uncomplicated setup of a communication platform to their customers? What is behind this?
Dr. Gerhard Keller: Schwarzwald-Software Engineering has developed ipOFTP, an appliance consisting of hardware and software that provides all the necessary functions for OFTP communication with partners from the industry. If additional services are required, such as conversions of different formats of the files to be transported or adaptations for integration into existing ERP/PPS solutions, these are developed at a one-time flat rate. This means that even small companies can participate in cross-company communication with manageable effort. IPP Process Playbook supports both customers and, in this case, the solution provider in the context of the go-to-market of digitalization initiatives.
Decision-makers in brief: What are the actual benefits?
Dr. Gerhard Keller: A professional setup of a proven OFTP communication at a low entry price with no ongoing costs. With this solution, OFTP communication has arrived in the internet age; installation and operation are on the level of a DSL router.
Entscheider kompakt: Could you explain this a little more technically?
Dr. Gerhard Keller: Nowadays, many internet options are available to participants in both private and professional settings. Almost every participant can choose from various communication channels and implement individual communication structures to communicate with partners. In the past, medium-sized companies often had to enter into complex commitments with major service providers. In our view, these do not offer a reasonable price-performance ratio for small businesses or smaller medium-sized enterprises. Since everyone now has a corresponding network with internet access, it is also easy to integrate your own communication solution. This is what ipOFTP offers. You connect the communication box to your internal network, open the ports required for OFTP in the router, and you’re ready to communicate.
Entscheider kompakt: What specific cost savings can companies achieve with your solution?
Dr. Gerhard Keller: Specifically, companies do not need to commit to service contracts. The solution has a one-time price. The effort required to install and configure communication server software is eliminated.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: What are the three key steps to implement this system with companies from the automotive industry and mechanical engineering?
Dr. Gerhard Keller: Connect the appliance to the in-house network, enable the internet connection in the internet router, and enter the internet address data of the communication partner.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Finally, a word on security. The transmitted data is usually highly sensitive. How do you ensure that the data does not reach unauthorized parties?
Dr. Gerhard Keller: OFTP defines appropriate encryption mechanisms with certificates.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Are there special conditions for visitors to the DigitalFUTUREcongress when concluding a contract at the trade fair?
Dr. Gerhard Keller: Yes, the manufacturer offers customers who place an order during the ipOFTP trade fair or within two weeks after the trade fair to set up a communication partner free of charge. Normally, the manufacturer charges a flat rate of €400.00 for this service.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: I wish you many good contacts at the event, especially from small and medium-sized enterprises that want to do business with large companies in mechanical engineering and the automotive industry.