Press release – October 28, 2026
Industrial AI in practice – Highlights from CONTACT Open World 2026
Under the motto “Industrial AI – From Top Floor to Shop Floor,” CONTACT Open World 2026 sent a strong signal for industrial transformation: customers and partners experienced firsthand how companies are putting Artificial Intelligence to work and making their processes fit for the future.
With around 650 participants, CONTACT Open World underscored its standing as one of the largest digitalization conferences in Germany and Europe. Opening the event at the World Conference Center in Bonn, CONTACT COO Maximilian Zachries highlighted the remarkable pace of current developments: what was purely a vision for many companies just two years ago is already running in live production today. Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming an integral part of the CONTACT Elements platform.
Focus on CONTACT Elements and strategic growth
CONTACT is evolving its brand identity: as Maximilian Zachries explained, the company is moving away from its previous multi-brand strategy to focus entirely on CONTACT Elements as an extensible, modular platform for a wide range of use cases. At the same time, the company is sharpening its focus on tailored industry solutions.
A key milestone was the acquisition of a majority stake in team neusta earlier this year. With this move, CONTACT expands its expertise in strategy, consulting, and the implementation of data and AI solutions.
Dr. Regine Wolters, Head of Product Management, and her team showcased what customers can look forward to in the near future. A major highlight are new capabilities of Fourier AI, the deeply integrated AI layer within CONTACT Elements. From intelligent search and coding assistants to geometric comparison, the platform will support companies even more comprehensively.
Actionable insights and a spirit of innovation
Numerous customers shared exclusive looks into their digital transformation projects, including Apollo Tyres, Weidmüller, Big Dutchman, thyssenkrupp, and MANN+HUMMEL. Global tire manufacturer Apollo Tyres kicked things off: Chief Digital Officer Hizmy Hassen detailed how the company harmonized R&D processes across sites using CONTACT Elements and demonstrated how it aims to cut tire development times in half using AI.
In other panel sessions, customers and partners demonstrated how they use Fourier AI to analyze customer inquiries, trigger proactive service workflows with CONTACT’s IoT solution, and build resilience through interconnected data.
The accompanying partner exhibition and lively discussions gave participants the opportunity to network and exchange ideas on shared challenges and real-world projects. Athletes Jutta Kleinschmidt and Kati Wilhelm brought the event to an inspiring close, motivating the audience to make bold decisions to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Discover all the highlights of Open World 2026, along with our highlight video, in our in-depth event recap.
