With the opening of its new Digital Manufacturing Hub, Konica Minolta has given the go-ahead for the expansion of its well-known and reliable IT services and complete solutions for the optimization of document-intensive business processes in the B2B sector. These will be supplemented by expertise in the fields of sensor and visualization technologies, in which Konica Minolta has many years of experience. "The aim of the new business unit is to develop and implement solutions for the digital transformation process together with and for Konica Minolta customers," says Yuji Ichimura, President, Industrial Optical System Business Headquarters. To this end, Konica Minolta will involve various cooperation partners. The focus will be on visualization in all its facets in order to make optimization potential visible and usable.

As part of the opening event, live demonstrations of the first solutions were presented alongside specialist presentations, including from the Technical University of Darmstadt, and a discussion forum.

Johannes Bischof, President of Konica Minolta Business Solutions Germany, is responsible for the Digital Manufacturing business unit worldwide. He will be supported by Steve Rommel, who will head the Digital Manufacturing Hub in Darmstadt in his new role. Rommel brings many years of cross-industry experience from manufacturing in global companies as well as from research and development to the hub.

A milestone

"For Konica Minolta, the establishment of the new business unit is another important milestone in the continuation of our successful company history. In our Digital Manufacturing Hub, we will bundle our innovative strength and expertise to develop pioneering solutions specifically for manufacturing companies. We are confident that we have found an ideal location for this in Darmstadt," explains Johannes Bischof.

New home - digital and award-winning

The opening of the Konica Minolta Digital Manufacturing Hub is also of particular importance for the Darmstadt region, which was represented at the opening by Lord Mayor Jochen Partsch and Michael Kolmer, Head of the Office for Economic Development. "Darmstadt is already a vibrant digital city and was recently recognized for this by Bitkom. In our region, research and development, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit meet cosmopolitan and tech-savvy people. The technology company Konica Minolta and its Digital Manufacturing Hub fit perfectly into this environment and we are therefore delighted that Darmstadt has been chosen as the location," says Lord Mayor Jochen Partsch. cs