Production plans quickly become outdated — they often lose 75 percent of their informative value within three days.
The reason: conventional tools do not react flexibly to changes. The consequence: unused capacity, excess inventory, and constant replanning.
Hamburg-based tech company akeno provides a remedy, with a globally unique, AI-based software for adaptive production planning in real time.
The company today announced it has raised €4.5 million Seed funding, led by Cusp Capital, together with TS Ventures, and another.vc.
akeno’s solution is aimed specifically at sectors with complex and sensitive production processes, including the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, the food and beverage sector, and the metalworking industry.
In these sectors parallel processes encounter tight capacity limits, heavily used systems, and numerous disruptive factors — from fluctuations in raw material quality and variable production times to unforeseen machine failures. Real-time production data and self-learning algorithms.
akeno does not plan on the basis of fixed times or general assumptions. Instead, the software analyses a wide range of operational data in real time — such as machine status, material availability, and capacity utilisation — and uses this to calculate the most likely process sequences. This results in adaptive plans that continuously adjust and become more precise with each application.
According to co-founder and CEO Alexander Ebbrecht, anyone who plans their production based on outdated master data runs the risk of losing their competitive edge:
“Our long-term vision is to fully automate production planning, enabling our software to autonomously adapt to real-world events and conditions and optimize production plans in real time.”
akeno anticipates potential disruptions or bottlenecks in advance. For example, if a machine takes longer than expected or a new production window opens up, akeno immediately suggests how orders can be rescheduled.
Customers include BASF Coatings, the Beckers Group and SunChemical.
Strong market fit and growth potential
According to Dr Maximilian Rowoldt, Investor and General Partner at Cusp Capital:
“akeno has the potential to become a central building block in the digital infrastructure of industrial companies and to strengthen Europe's competitiveness.”
With the fresh capital, akeno plans to triple its team and tap into new industries.
Having already entered the Chinese market, the company plans to expand into other international markets, including North America and other Asian countries.
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