ABOUT KLOECKNER.I

Starting Point

The supply and service chain in the steel and metal industry is highly inefficient. To this day, transactions are often carried out by telephone or fax. A continuous digital order and production management is rarely available. In order to eliminate these inefficiencies at all levels of the supply and service chain, the digitalisation of the steel and metal industry is inevitable.

kloeckner.i

Inspired by his time in Silicon Valley, the former CEO of Klöckner & Co SE, Gisbert Rühl, initiated the foundation of the internal innovation hub in Berlin – kloeckner.i GmbH in 2014. The foundation for the digitalisation of Klöckner & Co and the entire industry was set. Starting in the coworking space "betahaus" with 2 employees. Guido Kerkhoff, the current CEO of Klöckner & Co since May 2021, is also driving forward the goal of differentiating the company even more strongly from its competitors in the future. In this context, it is essential to further expand the digitization efforts and to further automate the entire value chain. The aim is to digitize processes and make data-driven business decisions. The focus here is on the development of innovative concepts and solutions, aligned with the operating business to create added value and generate profitable growth. The digital unit kloeckner.i equips the Klöckner Group with business value-oriented solutions and, with around 140 employees, combines transformative, innovative and technical skills as well as IT strengths in collaborative teams to enable seamless end-to-end process solutions across the Group. The goal is "zero touch," creating value with minimal manual effort.

Methodology

Our user-centric innovation process constitutes the foundation of our work.

We combine design thinking principles with lean start-up methods and agile development. The design thinking toolbox cultivates desirable product innovation by focusing on customer needs. The lean start-up philosophy helps us validate our business assumptions and meet market needs by incorporating feedback in an iterative loop. Finally, agile development guarantees continuous and sustainable improvement by ensuring the flexibility to adjust to changes rapidly. The philosophy shapes the design of our products and services.