Your Factory Is Ready for the Future. We’ll Show You the Way.
The brownfield approach is not a theory, but your opportunity for smart production with an immediate effect.
The smart factory doesn't have to be an expensive new build. With the brownfield approach, you can gradually transform your existing facilities into an intelligent factory. Discover practical use cases and how solutions from Arvato Systems enable digital transformation with minimized risk.
The Pressure to Digitize: Why SMEs Need to Act Now
German SMEs are the heart of the economy, but the pace is quickening. Global competition, rising energy costs, and the noticeable shortage of skilled workers are creating pressure to act that cannot be ignored. The question is no longer whether digitization is necessary, but how it can be achieved without jeopardizing ongoing operations or breaking the budget. Many shy away from the vision of a fully automated "dark factory". However, digital transformation doesn't start with a bang, but with targeted, intelligent steps.
The Pragmatic Way: What Does “Brownfield” Mean for Your Factory?
This is where the brownfield approach comes into play. Imagine renovating a solid, well-loved house instead of tearing it down and building a new one. This is precisely what "brownfield" means for your production: the targeted modernization and networking of your existing machinery during ongoing operations. In contrast to the greenfield approach of building a factory on a greenfield site, this is the realistic and resource-saving option for most SMEs.
The advantages are obvious: you benefit from significantly lower initial investments, achieve visible success quickly through quick wins, and minimize the financial risk. Additionally, the valuable process knowledge of your employees is retained and expanded in a targeted manner. Modern software and AI solutions for knowledge management and knowledge retention are also ideal in this context. Of course, there are also challenges, first and foremost, connecting a heterogeneous machine park with different age levels and interfaces. But there are tried-and-tested solutions for precisely this today.
Concrete Use Cases: The Immediate Added Value of Brownfield Digitization
The brownfield strategy is particularly impressive due to its rapid return on investment (ROI), which is demonstrated in specific use cases. Instead of hoping for a distant vision, you create measurable added value immediately.
Service automation - maintenance rethought!
Imagine your machine reporting automatically as soon as a problem is imminent - even before it breaks down. Sensors record data on vibration, temperature or energy consumption, a KI detects anomalies and triggers the process: The service call is planned automatically, spare parts are ordered and the entire process is documented in the networked systems. The result: efficient processes, less downtime and a fully digitalized maintenance process.
Robotics with platbricks® - rethinking automated logistics
With platbricks® combine robotics, automation and software into a single, intelligent ecosystem. Logistical tasks such as picking, sorting or palletizing are performed by autonomous robots or robot arms - supplemented by visual recognition systems for product detection and classification. Processes do not run in isolation, but are integrated: The robots report when tasks are due, spare parts or deployment are planned and their workflow is documented within the platbricks® platform. This results in more efficient processes, greater flexibility and transparent control in your Logistics.
Asset virtualization & Digital twin - transparency at the touch of a button
Every machine and every product receives a digital image, a kind of digital twin based on the Asset Administration Shell (AAS). This image contains all relevant data in real time - from operating data to maintenance history. This creates unprecedented transparency and forms the basis for the Digital Product Passport, or DPP for short. You can simulate processes, optimize the use of resources and make data-based decisions.
From Theory to Practice: How to Make Your Factory Smart Today
These use cases are not dreams of the future. With its open and modular operating layer, Arvato Systems provides the technological bridge to leverage your brownfield potential immediately. The approach is consistently designed for practical use in SMEs.
- Creating the basis
With a "Connectivity Sprint", your existing systems - regardless of their age - are quickly and easily connected, based on industry standards. This addresses the core problem of the heterogeneous system landscape and establishes a reliable data foundation. - Building the ecosystem
On this basis, a secure and sovereign data infrastructure is established. An EDC gateway, clear policies, and a data catalog ensure that you retain complete control. This is where the digital twins (AAS models, DPP) are managed and made available for applications. - Generating added value
This is where digitalization unfolds its full benefits. Specific value-added services are implemented on the secure database, ranging from analytics for process optimization and tracking in logistics to entirely new, cross-company business models. Turning data into real business value.
Hesitation is not a strategy in the digital age. The smart factory is not an unattainable goal, but an evolutionary process. The brownfield approach, supported by tried-and-tested, modular solutions such as those from Arvato Systems, offers the ideal entry point for medium-sized manufacturing companies. You start with manageable risk, achieve rapid success, and set the course for competitive, future-proof production.
Are you ready for the next step?
Contact our experts for a no-obligation analysis of your brownfield potential.
Written by
As Head of Strategic Business Development, Johannes Fuhrmann manages the portfolio and product development for the manufacturing industry, focusing on digital twins and data ecosystems. He previously worked at Deloitte and VELUX. He holds an MSc in Information Systems Management (University of Warwick) and a B.A. from HAW Hamburg.