A plea for genuine encounters (and granulate)

Is it still worth leaving the office for two days, getting in your car or on the train, and traveling to Würzburg just to talk to people you could also reach via video call?

The short answer is yes. Hell yes.

The slightly longer answer is this article. Because if we learned one thing at our first tetys excellence days on November 6 and 7 in Würzburg, it's this: Innovation doesn't happen when you sit alone in front of your monitor. Innovation happens when people get together, drink coffee, and realize that they're all in the same boat... and that sometimes that boat desperately needs a new coat of paint or a new engine.

Spoiler alert: this isn't just about software. It's about the classic smell of machine halls, thinking outside the box, and the reassuring realization that you're not “crazy,” but that complex processes are simply... well, complex.

The illusion of digital closeness

Let's be honest: we've all gotten used to it. “Can you hear me?”, “You're still on mute”, “Hold on, I'll share my screen.” That's our everyday life. And don't get me wrong, digitalization is our job, our passion, and the reason tetys exists. But digitalization is a tool, not a substitute for interpersonal chemistry.
You can't sense the mood via Teams. You can't pat anyone on the back via Zoom. And it's difficult to pick up on how another customer has solved the very problem that has been giving you headaches for weeks during a web conference. That only happens in “real life.”

Würzburg: More than just a location

So why Würzburg? Why the SKZ (South German Plastics Center)? Because we wanted to send a message. A message against silo thinking.
When we talk about MES or APS (or even ERP), we tend to think in terms of tables and databases. But our customers' reality does not take place in the cloud—it takes place in the factory floor. It is loud, it is physical, it is tangible.
By holding the excellence days directly at the SKZ, we restored the context. The tour of the technical center was not just a nice side program, but a grounding experience. We stood where value is created. Where plastic is processed, tested, and optimized. The SKZ is not just a host, it is a knowledge hub. And that is exactly what we wanted to convey: We don't just deliver software, we deliver understanding of what you actually do every day. With strong partners like the SKZ.

Thinking outside the box: Hellweg and the art of shredding

It would have been easy to spend two days talking only about tetys features. At this point, you can probably hear me yawning.
Have we always done it this way? No, we haven't.
We believe that problems can only be solved if you lift your head out of your own soup bowl and see what the rest of the world is doing. That's why it was so important to us to have partners like Hellweg Maschinenbau on board.
Why? Because it shows that we live in an ecosystem. A Hellweg mill has to be fed with data, processes have to be monitored, and materials have to flow. When innovative hardware (Hellweg), process knowledge (SKZ), and digitalization (tetys) come together, magic happens. Or at least very efficient production. And that's exactly the point: networking is not purely a technical discipline.

The gold lies in conversation

However, perhaps the most important thing about these two days was something that wasn't directly on the agenda: the exchange between customers.
It is fascinating to observe what happens when you “lock” managers and users from different companies, but with similar challenges, in a room (with good catering, of course). Suddenly you realize:

• “Oh, you also have problems with material allocation in the warehouse?”
• “How did you solve the traceability issue?”
• “Does Bernd from production resist tablets at your company too?”

This exchange between peers is invaluable. As a software manufacturer, we can say a lot. But when one customer tells another, “Look, we did it this way, and it's been working ever since,” it carries a whole different weight. It's authentic. It's real-world experience.

Conclusion: Analog is the new organic

We will continue to digitize. We will continue to automate processes until the cows come home—simply because we enjoy it. But we will never stop bringing people together. It's quite simple:
Digital solutions—designed with people in mind!

This event in Würzburg showed us that partnership is more than just a contract. It is a shared understanding of the cause. It is laughing about common hurdles. And it is the certainty that at tetys, you are not just a customer number, but part of a community that wants to become better together.
We're taking away not only feedback on our software from these days (there was plenty of that, thank you!), but above all the confirmation that technology connects machines. Encounters connect people.
Thank you to SKZ for their hospitality and insight into their work. Thank you to Hellweg Maschinenbau for thinking outside the box. And above all, thank you to you, our customers, for making the journey.
It was a real treat for me! And I'm already looking forward to the next time. Maybe there will be those delicious pretzel rolls with white sausage and sweet mustard again – and I say that as a Westphalian.
PS: Elsewhere in this blog, you will read more about our tetys Award, which we presented for the first time this year – but that topic deserves its own post.