Smart Factory Navigator

Smart Factory Navigator - Your Guide to the World of Intelligent Factories

Our mission at SFN (Smart Factory Navigator) is to accompany industrial companies on their journey to digital transformation - from identifying the optimal Smart Factory Use Cases to successfully implementing customized IT/OT solutions.

We Address Your Challenges

Manufacturing companies worldwide have significant catch-up to do in digitizing their production processes. As a result, 80% of all digitization projects fail due to:

Lack of a Smart Factory vision

Incorrect focus on processes

Wrong IT solutions selected

Many bottom-up projects

Disconnect between business and IT

Complex brownfield IT/OT landscape

Our consulting services

This is how we help you master these challenges

With over 40 years of experience in digitization from research and practice, we have successfully implemented numerous Smart Factory projects, effectively integrating business and IT. Our expertise covers a wide range of services, starting with Smart Factory Consulting, where we assess the current maturity level of your company, derive a tailored strategy, and initiate initial pilot projects.

In addition to our personal consultation, we also offer our SFN platform, our self-service consulting, which allows you to identify suitable use cases and solution providers according to your individual requirements and needs.

Personal and implementation-oriented consulting

Our approach is personal and practical because we aim not only to advise you but also to support you in implementing initial functional pilot projects and thus driving forward your digital transformation.

Benefit from our expertise to lead your Smart Factory to success.

Our consulting services include:

Site assessment
Digitization strategy
Smart Factory processes
Selection of solution providers
Proof of Concept

Our consulting services

Find Smart Factory Use Cases and Solution Providers on our SFN Platform

The Smart Factory Navigator is a platform where you can identify your individual use cases and discover suitable solution providers. As a result of five years of collaborative research at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST), the Smart Factory Navigator offers a database of over 40 use cases based on more than 900 specific digitalization projects from the industry.

Here's what the SFN platform offers:

Tailored Smart Factory Use Cases to suit your needs
Transparent selection of solution providers for your Smart Factory challenges

Explore our SFN platform

Events & Whitepaper

AI in Supply Chain & Produktion

^{06.11.2024, St.Gallen}

^{Die Anwendung von AI in der Produktion ist entscheidend für die Optimierung von Prozessen, die Sicherung von Wissen und die Verbesserung der Instandhaltung, des Qualitätsmanagements und der Produktionsplanung.}

Zum Event

Smart Factory Navigator Training

^{20.11.2024, 09:00 - 17:00 - Stuttgart}

^{Eintägige Schulung über das Smart Factory Navigator Framework und die Methodik:
Der unverzichtbare Werkzeugkasten zur Beschleunigung des digitalen Wandels in Fertigung und Lieferketten.}

^{Das Seminar richtet sich an Fach- und Führungskräfte aus den Bereichen Manufacturing Operations und Supply Chain, die die Digitalisierung und Optimierung in Fertigung und Supply Chain vorantreiben.}

Zum Event

Smart Factory Navigator: Empowering digital transformation in manufacturing

^{A Strategic Approach for Manufacturers}

^{Discover in our whitepaper how Cognizant and SFN AG collaborate with companies to assess existing MES capabilities, identify gaps, and develop future-proof solutions. With the Smart Factory Navigator Framework, we offer clear recommendations for sustainable digital transformation and the successful implementation of MES projects.}

^{Read how Emmi has benefited from our approach.}

Download Whitepaper

Benefits of a Smart Factory and Corresponding Use Cases

In today's world, digital transformation is crucial for companies to successfully meet market challenges and ensure long-term success. Utilizing a Smart Factory offers the following advantages:

Efficiency improvement through autonomous production:

A central aspect is the shortage of skilled workers, which poses a challenge for many companies in finding and retaining highly qualified employees. Particularly in high-wage locations, establishing efficient processes is crucial to make production profitable. It's no longer just about digitizing existing processes, but about creating autonomous production environments that can adapt and optimize flexibly.

Cost reduction and competitive advantage:

By precisely identifying digitalization use cases and implementing a Smart Factory, companies can not only reduce costs but also use their resources more efficiently. This not only helps them remain competitive in a demanding economic environment but also strengthens their competitive position.

Future-proofing:

Implementing Smart Factory solutions is not only a way to meet current market requirements but also to ensure long-term future security.

Our consulting services and the SFN platform offer companies the flexibility to adapt to changing market demands and quickly respond to new challenges. In an era of digital transformation, the Smart Factory Navigator is an indispensable tool to help companies future-proof themselves and successfully navigate the digital transformation.

Our Successes

By utilizing the Smart Factory Navigator, we have validated and further developed our MES vision. The use case framework will serve as a shared foundation in our factories moving forward.

Patrick Müllener

Head of Business Solutions & Data Value Creation | Emmi Schweiz AG

SFN AG played a pivotal role in our digital transformation journey. Their profound understanding of digital technologies enabled us to develop a strategic digitization roadmap aligned with our overarching business goals. We look forward to implementing the identified key projects and wholeheartedly recommend SFN AG for their significant role in our digital transformation journey.

Jerry Kochattu

Manager Supply Chain & Planning | Abbott

SFN AG is a spin-off of the Institute of Technology Management at the University of St. Gallen, based on extensive research and the book "Smart Factory Navigator." We translate innovative ideas and research insights into practical solutions. Through the Smart Factory Navigator platform, we enable effective networking in the realm of smart manufacturing for both industrial companies and solution providers.

HSG - University of St.Gallen

Universität St.Gallen, Dufourstrasse 50, 9000 St.Gallen, Schweiz

On December 28, 2022, SFN AG was awarded a STARTFELD funding package. The Smart Factory Navigator AG impressed the STARTFELD expert committee and secured a funding package. Contacts, knowledge, and financial support—startups can never have enough of these resources. Therefore, we support ambitious entrepreneurs at STARTFELD in all stages of innovation.

Startfeld

Switzerland Innovation Park Ost AG, Lerchenfeldstrasse 3, 9014 St.Gallen, Switzerland

The active involvement of SFN AG and its headquarters in the Switzerland Innovation Park Ost strengthens the innovation capacity of the Eastern Switzerland region and the Principality of Liechtenstein. This creates a sustainable foundation for Switzerland's competitiveness as a research and work location.

Switzerland Innovation Park Ost

Switzerland Innovation Park Ost AG, Lerchenfeldstrasse 3, 9014 St.Gallen, Switzerland

The Makers

Our SFN team consists of experts from various industries who share a common passion for digital transformation and innovative solutions for the industry. Our strengths lie in our interdisciplinary approach, our implementation-oriented methodology, and our deep practical knowledge across different industries. We draw from proven best practices from research and practice and can leverage 40 years of industry experience, as well as the successful implementation of over 100 digitalization projects.

Adrian Rüedy
CEO

10+ years of industry experience
Lecturer at Smart Factory OST
Author of Smart Factory Navigator

Stella Seufert
Sales & Marketing

Research Assistant ITEM-HSG

André Ziemke
COB

15+ years in Automotive
Former Head of IT Production at Audi
Co-Founder of nextLAP
Author of Production 4.0

Dr. Thomas Stöckel
CTO

20+ years in Automotive
Former Head of IT Planning at Audi
Co-Founder of nextLAP
Author of Production 4.0

Dr. Lukas Budde
COO

12+ years in Production Management
Postdoc at ITEM HSG St. Gallen
Author of Smart Factory Navigator

Digitalize
Your Production

Simple. Fast. Sustainable.