Vorstand Technik (CTO), Lapp Holding SE (LAPP Gruppe)
Lapp-Vorstand Hubertus Breier über Innovationen, Intralogistik und Industrie 5.0 - Industry Insights
In dieser Folge von Industry Insights sprechen Julia Dusold und Anja Ringel mit Hubertus Breier. Er ist Vorstand für Innovation und Technik bei Lapp.
Das sind die Themen:
Innovationsstrategien
Intralogistik und die Rolle der Robotik dabei
Industrie 5.0
Eine Übersicht zu allen Folgen und Themen finden Sie hier: https://www.produktion.de/podcast.html
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Industry Insights ist ein Podcast von "Produktion".
Transcript (50 segments)
A
Anja Ringel0:02
Industry Insights, a podcast from Produktion. Hello and welcome to our industry podcast. We are delighted to have you with us. In Industry Inside we talk with exciting personalities from industry. Your podcast hosts are Anja Ringel and Julia Dusold. We are editors at the trade media Produktion. We report on everything that moves the industry. From future technologies and transformation at all levels to current developments. In today's episode we talk with Hubertus Breier. He has been Board Member for Innovation and Technology at Lapp since April 2023. Before that he was Head of Technology at Ballof. Hello Mr. Breier, welcome to Industry Insides.
H
Hubertus Breier0:44
Yes, thank you very much for the invitation, Ms. Ringel. Ms. Dusold, I look forward to the conversation.
A
Anja Ringel0:48
Yes, very welcome. We are pleased that you are here. With Mr. Breier we want to talk about the following three topics: first, innovation strategies; second, intralogistics and the role of robotics; and third, Industry 5.0. We are happy to explore these topics with you. Mr. Breier, you write that you constantly strive for corporate progress and long-term success. What has been your most courageous decision as a board member or manager?
H
Hubertus Breier1:19
That's a good question. Define courage. It takes courage, especially as a new manager, to delegate responsibility and trust a team, because diverse teams can make 1+1 equal 3. Taking that step is courageous.
A
Anja Ringel1:52
We'll talk more about courage in innovation later. First, we'd like to get to know you better with some quick questions. Julia will start.
J
Julia Dusold2:10
One of your passions is photography. Do you prefer photographing people or nature?
H
Hubertus Breier2:13
Nature.
J
Julia Dusold2:15
You've said you can't do without coffee. Espresso or cappuccino?
H
Hubertus Breier2:20
Cappuccino before noon, espresso after.
J
Julia Dusold2:22
Lapp is in Stuttgart. The high gardens or the TV tower?
H
Hubertus Breier2:28
TV tower because of the view. It's beautiful.
J
Julia Dusold2:30
A question from Swabian companies: Maultaschen or Käsespätzle?
H
Hubertus Breier2:35
Maultaschen.
J
Julia Dusold2:37
More money or more free time?
H
Hubertus Breier2:42
More efficiency. With efficiency you gain time to invest in private or business.
A
Anja Ringel2:50
We haven't heard that before. Interesting.
Now my favorite question: The Land or Lappland?
H
Hubertus Breier2:57
Lappland, of course.
A
Anja Ringel2:59
In the company, do you use the formal 'Sie' or informal 'du'?
H
Hubertus Breier3:02
Increasingly 'du'.
A
Anja Ringel3:04
Order or creative chaos?
H
Hubertus Breier3:04
Order.
A
Anja Ringel3:08
Robotics or AI?
H
Hubertus Breier3:10
One doesn't exclude the other.
A
Anja Ringel3:13
And a four-day week, yes or no?
H
Hubertus Breier3:13
No.
A
Anja Ringel3:15
Okay, that's it for the quick questions.
H
Hubertus Breier3:15
Very welcome.
A
Anja Ringel3:17
Then let's move to our first topic: innovation. Mr. Breier, what does innovation management at Lapp mean? Evolution or revolution?
H
Hubertus Breier3:23
Both. I define innovation following Schumpeter as the implementation of new combinations. Implementation means market success; new and combination mean something that didn't exist before—technological or service innovation. We created a framework for innovation. First, people must collaborate and understand the timeline. We use the innovation funnel: screening, scouting, exploration, exploitation. We search for value propositions, evaluate using market criteria, differentiation. If promising, we go to discovery and then product development through a stage-gate process. That is evolutionary. For uncertain ideas we use lean startup: internal startups that must quickly earn their own lunch in phases—discovery, validation, creation, exit. Each phase requires re-pitching to the shark tank for budget. This prevents waste and validates customer demand.
A
Anja Ringel5:00
What criteria decide which idea becomes a startup?
H
Hubertus Breier5:02
For incubations we have pre-validation criteria: market potential, profit potential, strategic fit. Employees submit ideas on a beer coaster. After pre-validation, the top ten pitch to global management for 10 minutes. The idea generator must convince—they become the startup captain. We support them in preparing the pitch. After each phase, they return to the shark tank for the next budget.
A
Anja Ringel5:10
What hurdles do you face when transferring startup concepts back into the core business?
H
Hubertus Breier5:12
Many. First, communication: the core business must understand that the startup uses the company's competencies and doesn't waste money. There's the not-invented-here syndrome. Also, good employees may want to join the startup, but department heads are reluctant to release them. We emphasize that the employee gains valuable experience and returns to the department. The startup should only exit and be reintegrated when it's so big that the core business cannot break it.
A
Anja Ringel6:00
Let's talk about intralogistics. What trends do you see there?
H
Hubertus Breier6:02
Intralogistics affects all industries. Key trends: general automation due to labor shortage, changing consumer behavior (everything delivered, accelerated by the pandemic). Robotics plays a role: industrial robots for handling, AGVs/AMRs for transport, collaborative robots for direct human support. All these require sensitive, safe interaction.
A
Anja Ringel6:30
How does AI change requirements in intralogistics?
H
Hubertus Breier6:32
AI helps with demand forecasting and inventory optimization. Machine learning models can predict needed stock levels to meet delivery promises, reducing storage space and costs. This changes infrastructure: less warehouse space needed, lower energy costs. It improves sustainability.
A
Anja Ringel7:00
Industry 5.0 is often mentioned. How do you define it at Lapp?
H
Hubertus Breier7:02
The term is debated. Industry 4.0 focused on automation and efficiency, often removing humans. Industry 5.0 brings the human back into the center, emphasizing human-machine collaboration, sustainability, and resilience. It's more a cultural shift than a technological one. We need human intelligence alongside AI—humans provide creativity and ethical guidance. We approach it by not banning AI tools like ChatGPT but raising awareness. We built an internal Lapp GPT for secure use, and we are creating a community to help employees apply AI efficiently.
A
Anja Ringel7:50
How do you support customers in this transformation?
H
Hubertus Breier7:52
We support through connectivity. AI requires massive data handling, and we provide high-performance optical and copper cables for efficient data transmission, including Cat8 development. Our products enable the infrastructure for AI applications.
A
Anja Ringel8:10
Let's summarize: you talked about innovation management as the implementation of new combinations, using internal startup structures with human collaboration, and overcoming hurdles through communication. In intralogistics, the trend is automation, robotics, and AI for forecasting. Industry 5.0 focuses on human-machine collaboration with cultural rather than technical prerequisites.
H
Hubertus Breier8:15
Great summary, Ms. Ringel.
J
Julia Dusold8:17
Thank you, Anja. One final question, Mr. Breier: Describe your vision of the factory of the future in three sentences.
H
Hubertus Breier8:20
The factory of the future should be characterized by collaboration of people in a creative process supported by machines and artificial intelligence. It should pursue sustainable goals in terms of resource conservation and the generation of prosperity for all workers.
A
Anja Ringel8:30
Thank you for your vision and for being our guest today. We gained many exciting insights.
H
Hubertus Breier8:32
Thank you, Ms. Ringel. Thank you, Ms. Dusold. Very welcome.
A
Anja Ringel8:35
For more information, visit our website produktion.de. Subscribe to the podcast to not miss future episodes. If you're interested in the factory of the future or digitization and automation, join our congress 'Factory of the Year' next year. See you next time. This is Anja Ringel.
J
Julia Dusold8:42
And Julia Dusold.