Diving into the Digital Future Together: Uhlmann Group Successfully Concludes Factory-X Project
With the successful completion of the Factory-X project, a major milestone has been reached for the connected industry. As an active partner, the Uhlmann Group worked alongside 47 consortium partners and 10 associated partners to establish an open, secure, and interoperable data ecosystem for the manufacturing industry. The goal was to enable industrial data to be used across company boundaries — sovereign, standardized, and practical.
Data Spaces Become Ready for Industrial Use
Factory-X has demonstrated that collaboration between a wide range of industrial and research partners is the foundation for the next stage of successful, practical digitalization. Only a shared data space can unlock the efficiency and productivity gains associated with concepts such as digitalization and Industry 4.0. Through the MX-Port integration architecture, a cross-industry foundation has been created that enables multilateral exchange of industrial data. Standardized interfaces, shared data models, and interoperable data flows form the basis for scalable data-driven services, more efficient processes, and more resilient value chains.
For the Uhlmann Group, this development is of strategic importance.
“Data spaces make industrial data available in a sovereign and standardized way. They transform isolated digitalization initiatives into connected solutions that accelerate service processes, increase equipment availability, and enable new business opportunities,” says Bastian Brinkmann, Head of Corporate Future Lab. “Factory-X has done truly pioneering work in this area.”
For Uhlmann, the value of Factory-X can be viewed from two key perspectives: the targeted use of data within its own operations — Make Data Work FOR US — and the further development of future data-driven solutions for customers — Make Data Work FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.
The opportunities within Uhlmann’s own operations include the exchange of documents and data with suppliers and customers, more transparent and efficient processes, and the optimization of manufacturing equipment. This internal value was demonstrated within the project through a proof-of-concept in Uhlmann’s own component manufacturing operation. Together with partners, data from a turn-mill machine was used to develop and showcase solutions for energy-optimized production and condition monitoring in a real-world environment.
At the same time, Factory-X creates new opportunities for the future Uhlmann Group portfolio. Data becomes the foundation for scalable digital services, new forms of collaboration with customers and partners, and solutions that sustainably improve machine performance, availability, and productivity. The next step is to make these capabilities available as tangible customer solutions.
PacXplorer as a Demonstrator for Data-Space-Based Solutions
Uhlmann and SAP showcased how future data-driven solutions can work in real industrial applications at HANNOVER MESSE 2026. Based on a high-tech packaging machine from Uhlmann Pac-Systeme, the PacXplorer serves as a demonstration and development platform for the interaction of digital twins, condition monitoring, smart services, and SAP Business AI within an open data ecosystem.
Created through the collaboration within Factory-X, PacXplorer connects machine, operational, and service data in an interoperable environment. The Uhlmann demonstration solution is fully integrated into SAP system landscapes and operates in a real production setting. It provides a tangible example of what Factory-X makes possible: transparency regarding machine conditions, data-driven services, and new forms of cross-company collaboration — not merely as a concept for scalable solutions, but as a functioning reality in live operations.
Rethinking Service – Resilient and AI-Enabled
The benefits of connected data spaces become particularly evident in service operations. Condition monitoring and the resulting services—from spare parts management and maintenance to process optimization — are critical for the productivity and economic success of both machine manufacturers and operators. Data spaces provide the technological and organizational foundation needed to securely utilize machine and service data and develop more powerful service offerings. In collaboration with SAP, Uhlmann is developing AI-supported processes that automatically structure service requests, identify suitable spare parts, and accelerate quotation generation.
The objective is to strengthen decision-making under uncertainty. Rather than relying on safety stocks and buffers, resilient value creation models emerge through transparency, high-quality data, and intelligent process integration.
The Uhlmann Group and SAP will continue their collaboration. PacXplorer has already been installed and commissioned at the SAP S.Factory in Walldorf, where it serves as a platform for customers, partners, and co-innovation initiatives aimed at continuously advancing industrial transformation.
“For us at the Uhlmann Group, one thing is clear: we will continue along this path with determination and for the long term, together with strong partners and a clear focus on data-driven innovation,” confirms Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Niemeyer, CEO of the Uhlmann Group.