The founding event took place in the newly opened "MindSphere OpenSpace", an innovative development and working environment. The "MindSphere OpenSpace" is part of the new Factory Berlin branch. With over 13,000 square meters of office space, Factory Berlin, which is funded by the German government, Siemens and other companies, brings established technology companies together with developers and start-ups. The focus of the new start-up campus is the Internet of Things. In the age of digitalization, the "MindSphere OpenSpace" thus creates optimal conditions for MindSphere World members and other users such as start-ups to drive forward the development of apps and digital services as well as the opening up of new markets.

Jan Mrosik, Chairman of the Board of MindSphere World and CEO of the Siemens Digital Factory Division, said: "We want to establish and drive forward an ecosystem based on MindSphere with a community of industrial and IT companies of all sizes and sectors as well as start-ups worldwide. To this end, the association members - initially in Germany and in the next step also at an international level - are joining forces in MindSphere World".

The members of the association will discuss topics such as technology, business processes and public relations in committees. "The open structure of MindSphere has numerous advantages for us as users, particularly thanks to the manufacturer-independent connection of machines and systems and the development of apps. As part of MindSphere World, we can now also discuss with other users how disruptive technologies are changing the economy and the resulting business potential for IoT-based solutions," said Bruno Geiger, Member of the Board of MindSphere World and COO/CTO of Eisenmann.

"The development of standards plays a crucial role in building a global ecosystem. Therefore, the members of MindSphere World will jointly develop recommendations for standards for MindSphere-based applications. We will also propose solutions to enable interoperability between different MindSphere-based solutions," said Andreas Oroszi, Member of the Board of MindSphere World and Senior Vice President Digital Business at Festo.

In addition to Siemens, the founding members of "MindSphere World" include the following companies: ASM Assembly Systems, Chiron Group, Eisenmann, Festo, Gebr. Heller Maschinenfabrik, Grob-Werke, Heitec, Index-Werke, J. Schmalz, Kampf Schneid- und Wickeltechnik, Kolbus, Kuka, FFG Europe & Americas (MAG IAS), Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud. Baader, Rittal, Sick, Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen, Michael Weinig. kp