Most recent articles
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.
