Most recent articles
AI Alone Is Not Enough. How to Build Resilient Digital Solutions? Advice from TAL 2026 Speakers
How can you design “Digital by Design” solutions that can scale and adapt without major interventions? And where should AI be applied so that it becomes part of everyday processes and still makes sense a year from now? Ahead of the Trends in Automotive Logistics conference, we asked this year’s speakers two questions that companies frequently face during digitalisation projects. Experts from Amazon, Škoda Auto and Aimtec share their perspectives. More insights and practical experience will be presented on 16 June 2026 in Pilsen. Expect real-world automation project stories and recommendations on how to avoid dead ends.
AI in Aimtec solutions: put to practical, purposeful and meaningful use
Without a clear goal, AI is only a costly experiment. “Artificial intelligence is no longer just a supporting tool, it’s become an active element in the digital ecosystem," says Aimtec’s Supply Chain Solution Director Rostislav Schwob. So what does an AI deployment that actually delivers measurable results look like? Here are several examples of how artificial intelligence runs through Aimtec’s solutions for companies in logistics and manufacturing.
Automation? Don’t Ask Whether – Ask How.
Manufacturing and distribution companies aren’t just considering automation today – they are planning it. But the key thing is to know where to start, what to think over in advance and how to tell if you’re truly ready to get the most out of this type of project. Aimtec’s Automation Projects Director Jindřich Bek guides customers through the entire process – from the first question to project launch.
Digital by Design: Digitalisation Is Not a Patch, It Is the Foundation
This year’s Trends in Automotive Logistics (TAL) conference marks a double milestone: the 25th edition of the event coincides with Aimtec’s 30th anniversary. Yet the significance goes beyond round numbers. The conference subtitle Digital by Design raises a question that many manufacturing companies are currently facing: how to approach digitalisation strategically without being constrained by the legacy of historical systems.
Taking the Nightmares out of IT System Integration
When you have many fragmented information systems and applications, work slows down and costs rise across your company. Why are integrations so tough, and can we learn from yesterday’s mistakes? Can you connect diverse systems quickly and securely without a need for complex programming? And how do you ensure your integrations are both functional and reliable, running outage-free 24 hours a day, while staying easy to maintain and scale? Modern integration platforms have the answers. They let you interconnect systems without stress and unnecessary expenses.
Zebra ZEC500: A Brain for a Modern Workstation
What if just a little box behind a monitor was enough to give you a powerful, secure and fully manageable enterprise PC? The Zebra ZEC500 Enterprise Computer does just that. This compact device is built on Zebra’s proven Android platform, which links the worlds of mobile terminals, kiosks, digital signage and the shop floor into a single smart ecosystem.
An Interview with Martin Kraus: “Simulations Help Us Be Confident We’re Making Good Decisions”
Making decisions about production or logistics changes is always risky. Every step – changing a layout, adding a shift or investing in automation – can transform the whole system’s performance. How can you evade mistakes and decide with confidence? We chatted about all this with Martin Kraus, a simulation specialist at Aimtec.
Digitalisation Doesn’t Work without People: How Safran Cabin Saved 75 Million Euros
What is the cost of digitalisation when it isn't used in your operations? And what decides whether people will adopt a new tool, or bypass it with Excel instead? At the TAL 2025 conference, Selim Caluwaerts, Chief Data Officer and DigiMaps Program Director at Safran Cabin, explained that the key is not technology; it’s working with people, processes and data. And that skipping steps doesn't pay off!
Catena‑X Connector as a Service: Your Ticket to the Automotive Data Ecosystem
The automotive industry is undergoing rapid digitalisation and relies on standardised data exchange between partners. Established EDI communication is now gradually being complemented by Catena-X—an open ecosystem that connects supply chains and enables secure, sovereign and efficient data sharing. Aimtec has obtained Catena-X certification in the role of an ESP (Enablement Service Provider) for the Aimtec Integration Platform solution and now offers the Catena-X Connector as a service within this platform, allowing you to connect to the Catena-X ecosystem quickly, securely and without unnecessary burden on your internal team.
How can an upgrade done right save your operations? Aimtec’s Petr Stejskal has a clear answer
In our interview with Aimtec CTO Petr Stejskal, we look at lifecycle management, data security, the benefits of upgrading mobile terminals and more. See how mobile terminals are managed in manufacturing and logistics, with practical examples showing how a well-planned upgrade can make operations easier and more efficient – and the impact of form factor on hardware choices.
BMW iFACTORY: 36 Million Parts Each Day, One Digital System
BMW Group is going through a fundamental transformation. Each of its thirty global manufacturing plants is gradually becoming an iFACTORY – a modern operation that’s effective, sustainable and digital. This is not a pilot project, but a shift in its global manufacturing system towards comprehensive and innovative thinking. Forever. At Trends in Automotive Logistics (TAL) 2025, Tobias Mayr, BMW Group’s General Manager IT Inbound Logistics, provided a behind-the-scenes look at this transformation.
Vinyl Production at GZ Media Is Built on Expertise, Technology and a Good Team
Among the distinctive speakers at the Trends in Automotive Logistics (TAL) 2025 conference was GZ Media’s Chief Executive Officer Michal Štěrba. This company from Loděnice, a small town near Prague, has an inspiring story: since its founding in 1951, it has seen a number of changes that have led it into the ranks of the world leaders in vinyl record manufacturing. One of this firm’s key innovations in recent years is the logistics and manufacturing automation project that it launched in 2023.
System sustainability, availability and AI – where to focus development for long‑term value
Seven years ago, Jan Kocián joined us as the head of product development for Aimtec DCIx. Ever since, he’s been focused on managing this digitalisation platform’s development team, developing it and improving its features and technology. He says much has changed today: the solution has seen a major transformation, its team has doubled, and performance, security and flexibility demands keep on growing. We chatted about how the development approach has changed, why system sustainability and effective cloud management matter, and some ways to leverage AI in logistics and manufacturing.
From Pilot Project to Operations: How Škoda Auto Is Implementing AI in Logistics
What’s the best way to deal with 3,500 freight vehicles a day, 93 systems in logistics and rapid data growth? Škoda Auto is betting on a combination of digitalisation, standardisation and the targeted use of artificial intelligence. At Trends in Automotive Logistics 2025, the company’s logistics systems coordinator Mojmír Barák explained how it’s moving AI out of laboratory conditions into real operations and how to build people’s trust in new technologies.
An Interview with Hana Součková (SAP) and Jan Kratochvil (Aimtec): AI is giving firms room for decisions with more added value
How can you harmonise the stability of centralised IT with manufacturing’s pressure for speed and flexibility – and today’s rise of AI? SAP Czech Republic’s Managing Director Hana Součková and Aimtec’s Jan Kratochvil joined us to explain why AI is more than a fashion trend – it saves time and creates room for higher-added-value decisions – and why companies need not just the right technology but, above all, a partner that understands real-world operations.
Helping through Code: How a Life‑Changing Programming Contest Began
Can a hackathon for young programmers help solve a problem that’s been beyond the reach of medicine? Now we know that the answer is yes. #AimtecHackathon proves it. Competing teams address challenges sent in by specific people with disabilities and non-profit organisations. We spoke with its main organiser Petra Šteklová about the road that led to today’s version of this hacker competition.
Panel Discussion on the Future of Logistics: AI, Work with Data and a Clash of Generations
The era of merely collecting data is behind us. Now we have to decide: what’s the right way to use that data – and protect it? The “Digital. Future-Proof?” panel discussion at the Trends in Automotive Logistics 2025 conference this May touched on a number of fundamental questions related to the digitalisation of logistics. The panel’s experts shared their views and experience regarding artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and changing job roles, as well as how to bridge the generation gap in the workplace.
Focus on the Essentials, Accept Change, Stay Humble: Valuable Advice from the Speakers at TAL 2025
“If you had to choose the one thing that’s helped you the most... what would it be?” At this year’s Trends in Automotive Logistics conference – with the tagline “Digital. Future-Proof?” – speakers shared their opinions on the most important lessons their professional journeys have taught them. In these logistics experts’ answers, you’ll find both values and practical tips – from daily decision-making to strategies for managing people and changes. Together they offer a diverse yet surprisingly consistent map for everyone who wants growth – professional or personal.
An Interview with Hana Součková (SAP) and Jan Kratochvil (Aimtec): The Cloud Is Changing the Rules
Artificial intelligence, fast projects and a return to the clean core. What does tomorrow’s digitalisation look like according to SAP? “We’re a hub interconnecting business and technology. It’s our partners who polish every project until it’s flawless,” says Hana Součková, Managing Director of SAP Czech Republic. Together with Aimtec’s Jan Kratochvil, she discusses how data is shaping manufacturing’s future, why the cloud is more than cost savings and how much it means to have a reliable partner.
“We are constantly innovating. Our digitalisation roadmap, ergoscreening, and AI are all helping us in this,” says Tomáš Neškrabal from SKF.
Digitalisation, artificial intelligence, ergonomics and automation – at the SKF plant in Chodov, near the Czech city of Karlovy Vary, all of these areas boost logistics and manufacturing. SKF, which is among the global leaders in centralised lubrication systems, is getting ready to build one of the most modern automatic warehouses in the Czech Republic. We spoke with Ing. Tomáš Neškrabal, the plant’s Logistics Leader, to learn what their digital transformation looks like in practice and what roles are being played by AI, mobile technologies, ergoscreening and more. Tomáš leads a team of more than one hundred employees.
The best quotes from Trends in Automotive Logistics (TAL 2025)
How are people in logistics using AI – and is it paying off for them? Is standardisation going out of style? And how is humans’ role within the factory evolving in the real world? Trends in Automotive Logistics 2025, a conference with the tagline Digital. Future-Proof? answered all these questions and more. Experts from key companies such as BMW Group, Bosch, Škoda Auto and Siemens shared their experience and visions for this field’s future. Read on to see the most distinctive words that resounded at this year’s conference. And find out who has the world’s best potato salad.
Make Your Logistics Ready for the AI Revolution: TAL 2025 Speakers Share Their Experience
The automotive industry stands before a revolution. The rise of artificial intelligence is changing established processes and bringing new possibilities. But what obstacles are companies having to overcome so that they can deploy AI effectively? The experts and industry leaders appearing at Trends in Automotive Logistics 2025 – with the tagline “Digital. Future-Proof?” – are sharing their experience and viewpoints on the key challenges in deploying AI.
Stress‑Free System Integration: How to Connect Everything Without Losing Control
Systems that don’t talk to each other, hours of extra work due to integration errors, endless log scanning, or everyone’s nightmare — production downtime. Fortunately, these now belong to bad dreams rather than the reality of a modern digital factory. So how do you build a system integration that works reliably, predictably — and most importantly — without worries?
How can you overcome uncertainty in automotive logistics? Here’s some valuable advice from the speakers at TAL 2025
What can companies do to enable them to respond to challenges that they’re not yet even aware of? We posed this question to the leading experts in automotive logistics who will be coming together on 20 May 2025 at the Trends in Automotive Logistics (TAL) conference in Pilsen, with the tagline “Digital. Future-Proof?” Read up on what the TAL 2025 speakers see as important for building resilience in the swiftly changing automotive sector.
6 IT Trends Worth Watching – Insights from Aimtec Experts
The digital world is developing swiftly, and so is the way in which firms are innovating. The cloud is bringing flexibility, artificial intelligence is speeding up decision-making and cybersecurity is more important than ever. We carefully test new technologies and select the ones that have long-term potential and are ready for industrial use. We bring you our experts’ insight into which trends truly change the rules of the game – and how to take hold of them so that they’re truly useful.
AI Data Extraction Unchained: Automation That Will Finally Ease Your Work
All those thousands of partners, customers and suppliers… Thanks to EDI, they’re now conveniently integrated into your ERP system, but you still get quite a few PDFs over email whose data you must copy by hand. Extraction of data from documents such as invoices, orders and delivery notes is among the foundational processes for a functioning business. Yet paradoxically, you’ll often encounter a wealth of mistakes caused by the diversity of business document formats or bad data transcription. The existing methods for automated data extraction are demanding to develop, and they have to be adapted to every change to a PDF document’s layout. Meanwhile, this area is ideal for integrating artificial intelligence, which will quickly eliminate all these troubles. Just how much can it accomplish?
The Trends in Automotive Logistics Conference 2025: You Can’t Make It Without People and Resilient Systems
Artificial intelligence, electromobility, regulations and fears around competition from China. The automotive sector’s future is in many respects unclear, yet despite this, it is essential for companies to develop a digital factory. Tangible tips, paths and experience are offered once again by yet another year of the Trends in Automotive Logistics conference, coming up on 20 May 2025 in Pilsen. Roman Žák, the co-founder of Aimtec and head of its advisory board, welcomes you to this event with a deep tradition and international impact.
Zebra MC3400: Better Performance, Range and Ergonomics
The worlds of logistics and manufacturing are all about speed, precision and reliability. Every second counts, and every error means losses. That’s why it’s important to have devices at hand that can handle demanding processes without delays. The Zebra MC3400 is a modern mobile terminal with top-notch performance, excellent connectivity, and ruggedness – making it an indispensable tool for anyone seeking improved process efficiency and stable access to data.
Change Management at REHAU Automotive: Digital Transformation in Practice
What’s the most effective way to develop a company’s business? Michael Colberg, Chief Operations Officer at REHAU Automotive, has a clear-cut reply: Digitalisation. He presented his viewpoint in a presentation at the Trends in Automotive Logistics (TAL) 2024 conference, where he called above all for a pragmatic approach to the entire topic. According to Colberg, digitalisation is really not rocket science. “Don’t be afraid – just dive right in!” says this manager with three decades of experience in automotive.
Focus on cash, data and automation: these are the trends in the industrial supply chain
The automotive industry is in crisis – and not just in Germany. Many suppliers are tied to the large manufacturers. What can they do now to guide their companies safely through the crisis? The 'Trends in Automotive Logistics' (TAL) conference of Aimtec, the digitalisation specialist, which took place in Pilsen in the summer of 2024, provided food for thought and inspiration on how the industry could prepare for the future.
EDI and SAP integration – Part 2: Don’t Do It for the OEM – Do It for You
What problems can be solved and what new benefits can be gained by integrating Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) with SAP ERP? This question was explored at an Aimtec-organised workshop with presentations by Business Development Manager Adam Heller and SAP SD Consultant Tomáš Pašek. This article focuses on the second part of the workshop, devoted to SAP SD.
Thilo Jörgl joins TAL 2025 as a speaker – watch his interview
Thilo Jörgl, a prominent figure in intralogistics, is the manager of the IFOY Award and the TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS event. During the 24th Trends in Automotive Logistics (TAL) conference, organised by Aimtec, he sat down for an interview regarding his expertise and experience.
Digitalisation and Its Human Dimension
The digital transformation is a present challenge for many companies in a variety of fields. As Michal Fichtner, Head of Digitalization Operations at Continental Automotive emphasised at Trends in Automotive Logistics (TAL 2024), you need to thoroughly understand this process, and above all win over your people for it.
EDI and SAP integration – Part 1: Added Value beyond Mere Data Transfer
What benefits do you get when you integrate Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) with SAP ERP? This question was explored at an Aimtec-organised workshop with presentations by Business Development Manager Adam Heller and SAP SD Consultant Tomáš Pašek.
Trends in Czech Logistics 2025 Study: Automation Is Essential
Automation, the collection, evaluation and utilisation of data, the deployment of AI tools, and sustainability. These are the pillars of future growth – and the solution to logistics' most urgent problems, such as the manpower crunch, wage growth pressure and increasing regulation from the EU. These are the conclusions from the Trends in Czech Logistics 2025 study, prepared for SKLAD by the Ipsos agency.
Interview with prof. Dr. Heinz‑Jürgen Klepzig: Companies need cash!
Prof. Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Klepzig, who teaches at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg and mainly focuses on business economics and logistics, assessed the German and European automotive industry’s challenges and trends in an interview at the Trends in Automotive Logistics (TAL) 2024 conference, organised by Aimtec.
What visions and news did this autumn’s Aimtec DCIx User Group meeting bring?
The regular meeting in Pilsen for users of Aimtec’s DCIx solution took place at the end of October. Participants learned Aimtec’s visions in logistics and manufacturing, the latest features the system has to offer, what plans are in store for future versions and more. Case studies from two companies, DŘEVO TRUST and DENSO MANUFACTURING CZECH, were on the agenda as well. Participants also showed great interest in the morning workshops on current topics, such as logistics automation and the application of AI, comprehensively interconnected and managed manufacturing, and enterprise digitalisation. Couldn’t make it to the meeting and missed the latest news, or want to go back over some of the presentations? Watch the videos from the main afternoon segment.
BI reporting brings full data automation, says Futaba Czech’s Radek Slanař
Futaba Czech manufactures steel components for cars. Its Czech plant in Havlíčkův Brod was built to serve as Futaba’s sole location in continental Europe – a role it still retains today. It is also highly valued from this Japanese industrial group’s standpoint because it strives for constant progress in operational management, which oversees logistics, manufacturing, maintenance and more. To achieve defined KPIs and provide precise and timely KPI reporting to its parent company, the plant recently switched to reporting its indicators with the help of BI. What fuelled the plant’s decision, what will the new tool bring it and what are its further visions? We spoke on all this and more with Radek Slanař, this Czech enterprise’s plant manager.
Interview with Prof. Dr. Nils Finger: What does the new normal mean in the logistics?
The interview with Prof. Dr. Nils Finger, a renowned supply chain expert and regional spokesperson for the German Logistics Association (BVL), sheds light on the current challenges and changes in the logistics industry. Speaking at the Trends in Automotive Logistics (TAL) 2024 conference organised by Aimtec, Nils Finger emphasises that the world has changed significantly since the pandemic and that we are now living in the ‘new normal’.
The Zebra KC50: A Flexible and Powerful Helper for Smart Manufacturing
Digitalisation is key in today’s swiftly changing industrial environment. In order for companies to remain competitive, they need devices that are powerful, flexible and easy to integrate into existing systems. Precisely these requirements are met by the Zebra KC50, the latest kiosk computer from Zebra. This Android-driven device combines modern design with robust performance and represents the ideal solution not just for retail, but also for manufacturing and logistics processes.
E‑invoicing in B2B: How to Get Ready for Mandatory Digitalisation
A new mandatory requirement is taking effect in Germany in 2025: companies must accept digital invoices. Also, from 2027 they will have to both receive and send them digitally. Other countries will also have to comply with similar legislative requirements by then. The European Union directive involved is part of a broader trend of digitalisation of public and company processes throughout Europe with the goal of making business more transparent and efficient. For companies doing business with German partners, this change is a key milestone for which they will have to prepare thoroughly.
Zebra WT6400 and RS2100: Transform Your Warehouse with This Dynamic Duo
Zebra Technologies has introduced two hot new products that can work together to maximally improve work processes for all your operators. The combo of the Zebra WT6400 wearable hands-free terminal and the RS2100 scanner represents a unique union of comfort, ergonomics and productivity. What’s the potential of wearable devices, and what do the new products from Zebra Technologies bring to the market?
Petr Kraus, SPORTISIMO: Automation technologies can work miracles. But not on their own – these miracles take effort.
Petr Kraus has been in IT for over two decades. He’s full of insights into retail, logistics and manufacturing. The interconnectedness of these areas is what lets him view things with the needed distance. One recent project that he’s just completed is for the Ostrava central distribution centre of the sporting goods distributor SPORTISIMO, s.r.o. What questions did he consider? What challenges did he face? Did everything always turn out smoothly when he knew exactly what he wanted? How did he select suppliers and technologies, and what could he recommend, based on his rich experience, to other companies seeking to automate? We asked Petr about all this and more.
Simulation Tools: The key to efficient process planning in manufacturing and logistics
How can you ensure effective evaluation during the planning processes in a project’s opening phases? Can advanced add-ons like virtual reality and artificial intelligence tools make simulation models more effective? And how necessary are comprehensive simulations of production and logistics systems for proper estimation, process planning and better awareness? Tomáš Sauer, Global Competence Field Leader at FORVIA HELLA, answered all this for us at the Trens in Automotive Logistics (TAL) 2024 conference.
An interview with Otakar Horák: Data as the foundation for successful digitalisation
Data was the star player at this year’s Trends in Automotive Logistics conference. It’s no wonder, because high-quality clean data is essential for making the most of the potential new technologies, digitalisation and automation can offer. We spoke with Otakar Horák about how to use these to the fullest. He deals with data, and work with data, every day as the head of a division specialising in advanced planning systems.
