SupplyET uses AI to future-proof production networks
Planning production networks and aligning them with market demands is a highly complex task, particularly for large companies with multiple locations. Added to this are market fluctuations, trade barriers and crises, which require swift action and a rethinking of global strategies. The startup SupplyET uses artificial intelligence to enable better and more resilient planning and has already secured a worldwide active company as a client.
It began at a global corporation with a long history and complex challenges
Bosch Rexroth is a mechanical engineering company with a long history, having emerged in 1795 from a water-powered hammer mill. In the 1950s, its entry into the hydraulics market laid the foundation for its current position as a provider of multi-technology solutions. In 2024, the company achieved a global turnover of 6.5 billion euros with around 32,600 employees, of whom just under 13,600 were based in Germany. In total, Bosch Rexroth has more than 40 production sites and operates in over 80 countries.
The company’s worldwide presence and wide range of products – from mobile hydraulic pumps to linear technology and electrical control systems – make the global coordination of production extremely challenging. When Christian Hochmuth joined Bosch Rexroth as a PhD student in 2008 after completing his degree in computer science, he recognised the problem and set out to develop software that would enable faster and more transparent planning of global manufacturing processes. External factors such as fluctuations in demand and supply bottlenecks had to be taken into account, as did machine utilisation and planned investments. At the same time, the software had to be ready for use in the factories quickly, within weeks, not years. In 2014, a working prototype went live and Christian’s mission at Bosch Rexroth was, for the time being, accomplished.
In the years that followed, Christian worked as a management consultant for numerous international industrial groups, all of which faced the same challenges. The global economic landscape became increasingly complex, first due to the Covid pandemic, then the war in Ukraine, and most recently due to the fluctuating US tariff policy, with direct implications for global production strategies, particularly for Germany’s export-oriented industry. As early as the beginning of 2022, Christian therefore founded the startup SupplyET, which was intended to take his software concept from his time at Bosch Rexroth to a new level. The aim was no longer a prototype, but software that could be used industrially and scaled to suit globally active companies.
In early 2024, SupplyET completed a funding round led by IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH, in which several business angels also participated, including AI scientists and business representatives. Due to the innovative nature of its work, the startup also received funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. In total, the team had a six-figure sum at its disposal. The previous collaboration with Bosch Rexroth proved to be a crucial point of contact. The global corporation became a pilot partner to develop and roll out the next generation of software under real-world conditions within the production network. At the same time, expectations rose: the new software had to differ significantly from the prototype and deliver demonstrable financial savings.
A key innovation is the consistent use of artificial intelligence. The AI, developed in-house by SupplyET, calculates scenarios, optimises capacities, generates suggestions and follow-up actions, and makes decisions transparent. In doing so, it delivers conclusions on thousands of possible procedures in seconds. The software was completed by the end of 2025, and the global rollout at Bosch Rexroth has been underway since the start of 2026.
Visual representation simplifies process planning
A key area of application for the software is the strategic planning of production capacity. SupplyET solves a central problem here: maintaining an overview of future bottlenecks as soon as demand or internal processes change. Only then can companies react quickly enough and remain able to deliver. The software achieves this through a visual, intuitive representation of production processes. This allows not only existing processes to be mapped quickly, but also future ones to be simulated and planned. On this basis, the AI identifies the best ways to utilise existing capacities and invest strategically in new ones.
From the outset, the brief was to develop software that delivers measurable benefits by improving manufacturers’ economic position. The solution is now also available to other companies, where it can be implemented and utilised within a short timeframe. The SupplyET team has ensured from the start that the solution is applicable across all industrial sectors.
What made success possible: the team, supporters and timing
Keeping processes as lean as possible has always been the guiding principle at SupplyET. This also applies to the core team, which consists of just three other people alongside Christian. He himself brings 20 years of experience from research, industry and consultancy. As a marketing expert, Alexandra Hochmuth has set out to help the startup, which has so far focused primarily on product development, achieve greater visibility, plan market entry and support client projects. Dr Matthias Brönner, a long-standing company founder, managing director, consultant and investor with many years of experience, acts as co-founder and business angel. Lauritz Rempel is on board as a technical consultant with a strong background in AI and the development of data-driven business applications.
Furthermore, from the very beginning, there were also individuals outside the team who recognised the potential, even though industrial applications were not the focus of investors and the public for a long time. Christian mentions Bastian Springer, an innovation expert in Hamburg who now works at Haspa Next, who guided and supported the team through the process of securing investment from IFB. Key sparring partners at Bosch Rexroth were Dr Michael Sauter, Head of Manufacturing Coordination & Excellence, and Alessandro Battino, Project Manager in the Industrial Engineering division.
Timing was also a key factor in the success: Bosch Rexroth is now pursuing a consistent AI strategy and is increasingly relying on agents. Combined with the experience gained from using the prototype, this proved to be the key to winning over the global corporation. Negotiations with other clients are at an advanced stage, and international contacts are already in place.
For a while, the question at SupplyET was whether growth in Germany would happen quickly enough. Before the pilot project with Bosch Rexroth came about, the team had already spoken to numerous companies. All too often, reasons were given as to why processes should not be changed and new solutions not introduced. Christian therefore hopes for greater willingness among companies to take risks and to use solutions that are not yet fully developed. This is particularly true when a problem is as relevant to companies and the economy as a whole as the reorientation and flexibilisation of global production. “Quick, robust decisions help keep pace with the market, not the years-long process of data cleansing,” explains the founder. Now that the knot has been untied, the success with Bosch Rexroth would enable SupplyET to conquer the global market from Germany.
To be more precise, from Hamburg. Although most of its potential industrial clients are based in central and southern Germany, the startup, which is headquartered at the Digital Hub Logistics & Commerce in the Speicherstadt, is sticking to its northern location.
