What challenges did Krones face before AI implementation?

Manufacturers face the urgent need for digital transformation to enhance operational efficiency, resilience, sustainability, and productivity. Complex data fragmentation and outdated processes slow innovation and decision-making in production environments. Meeting regulatory and climate targets demands sophisticated AI-driven tools for energy management, compliance, and product traceability.

What was the impact of the AI solution?

The implementations have delivered significant gains in productivity, faster simulation cycles, operational resilience, emissions reduction, and cost savings. Workforce efficiency and strategic decision-making have improved with AI-driven insights and collaboration platforms. These AI applications showcase real-world value and scalability beyond pilot phases in manufacturing environments across multiple countries.

Source

Microsoft

Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award 2026 Winners Showcase AI Use Cases in Germany and EMEA

Use case typeEnergy optimizationUpdated Jun 13, 2026

The Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award 2026 recognizes pioneering AI-driven digital industrial solutions transforming manufacturing operations across the EMEA region. Award winners include companies such as Krones, tesa, Luxottica, Tetra Pak, Kongsberg Digital, AUMOVIO, Erbe Elektromedizin, and others, employing Microsoft technologies to optimize and digitize their manufacturing processes. These AI solutions include AI-powered digital twins, modular AI platforms for energy management, digital product passports, unified smart factory platforms, and AI-powered clinical evidence mining. The projects demonstrate measurable impact such as faster decision making, improved resilience and sustainability, cost reduction, enhanced productivity, and automation across various manufacturing operations.

Organization: Krones
Industry: Manufacturing
Location: Germany
Published: March 2026

Reported outcomes

Strategic outcomes

New product / capabilityBuilt unified smart factory platformRisk & complianceEnabled product traceability and complianceCost efficiencyAutomated energy management operationsNew product / capabilityCreated industrial work surface platform

Primary read

Use case focus

Showing 3 of 4

1AI Optimization
2Digital Twins
3Energy Management

Manufacturers face the urgent need for digital transformation to enhance operational efficiency, resilience, sustainability, and productivity.
Complex data fragmentation and outdated processes slow innovation and decision-making in production environments.
Meeting regulatory and climate targets demands sophisticated AI-driven tools for energy management, compliance, and product traceability.

Award-winning companies employed Microsoft Azure, AI platforms, Azure Digital Twins, and AI assistants integrated with workplace tools to digitally transform their manufacturing operations.
Krones utilized AI-powered digital twins for real-time process optimization, AI platforms automated energy management at tesa, and Luxottica implemented digital product passports for transparency and regulatory compliance.
Tetra Pak developed Factory OS, a smart factory technology suite unifying data and analytics across production lines.
Other solutions include Kongsberg Digital’s Industrial Work Surface, AUMOVIO’s Virtual Intelligence Orchestrator AI platform, and Erbe Elektromedizin’s EvidenceStream clinical evidence mining system.

Technologies

Azure AI Azure Digital Twins AI-powered analytics AI-powered analytics AI assistants

The implementations have delivered significant gains in productivity, faster simulation cycles, operational resilience, emissions reduction, and cost savings.
Workforce efficiency and strategic decision-making have improved with AI-driven insights and collaboration platforms.
These AI applications showcase real-world value and scalability beyond pilot phases in manufacturing environments across multiple countries.

Architecture

The architecture includes AI-powered digital twins, modular AI platforms, integrated smart factory platforms, and AI assistant components leveraging Microsoft Azure and AI services.

Implementation partners4

Roland Berger Flinn Publicis Sapient Shurfah Holding

Sources & evidence1

Groundedness: 2/5

Primary source

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