At the beating heart of digitalisation
A single click, a quick glance at the screen – and somewhere on a construction site in Europe a wheel loader weighing several tonnes starts moving. All controlled by a software developed in Ulm. Here, inside the Liebherr-Digital Development Center (LDC), beats the digital heart of the Group. The moment you step inside the LDC, you sense that this is where the future is made.
The Liebherr-Digital Development Center
The construction industry is on the verge of radical change: it’s no longer enough for machines to be powerful, they have to be intelligent too. Engineering that has been tried and tested for decades is coming face to face with the demands of the digital world. And that is precisely the challenge the team in Ulm is rising to. ‘I wrote my first codes in 1985,’ recalls managing director Heinz Klemm. ‘That passion for software has never left me.’ Today, he heads up a group that combines Liebherr’s mechanical engineering expertise with state-of-the-art software design to future-proof the construction sector.
Agility and team spirit
The development centre is a melting pot of people from different fields, working side by side: computer technicians, mathematicians, engineers, UX designers and developers. Many bring with them expertise from the automotive industry or mobile telecoms to further strengthen our cloud systems, artificial intelligence and software processes.
The working day is shaped by agile methods, daily meetings and open dialogue – both in the office and remotely. UX designer Lena Sommnitz explains: ‘We start the day with a daily catch-up, then we carry on with our own work independently and meet up as teams or project groups as and when needed. It’s really important to keep the conversation going, either with “coffee calls” or in our lunch break.’ Michael Schwegler, team leader for data & AI, adds: ‘Events like the Tech Fair or group tours of the city are great for team spirit and allow us to fully experience Ulm together.’
Liebherr-Digital Development Center GmbH
Liebherr-Digital Development Center GmbH is a central organization that supports all Liebherr product segments in the development of digital solutions and business models.
Facts and figures
Founded: 2020
Location: Ulm, Germany
Purpose: cross‑functional software development for Liebherr with global applicability
Team: about 110 employees
Core areas: cloud systems, artificial intelligence, software processes
Outcome: digital solutions supporting operations on construction sites and in workshops
Way of working: agile development with continuous software delivery
Characteristic: concentration of digital competencies at a single location
Digital solutions that really add value
The digital experts from Ulm are developing solutions that will dramatically improve the working day on construction sites and in workshops. Marco Sanna, a developer working in the Mobile Apps team, is currently working on an app that identifies construction machine parts from a photo – on site, anywhere in the world. ‘What’s really amazing is that one photo is all it needs to find the right spare part and order it. Soon the app will also incorporate maintenance information – for instance, when oil needs changing or a filter needs replacing.’ Dialogue with the users is integral to this: ‘we take an interactive approach to developing – we regularly gather feedback and adjust the app to meet real-life requirements.’
There’s also a real focus on accessibility. ‘With the new European Accessibility Act, digital products need to be accessible to all. We are making this a tangible talking point for everyone in the team – for example, by having stations where colleagues can experience the challenges of inaccessibility for themselves,’ explains Lena Sommnitz. Another exciting development being worked on is a 3D user interface for autonomous wheel loaders. Alexander Breckel, cloud frontend software developer, explains the challenges this presents: ‘It was a matter of creating an interface that people can trust – trust in machines weighing several tonnes moving around autonomously. Our 3D visualisation shows the operator what the machine is doing in real time and makes complex technology intuitive to operate.’
The greatest motivation is that we are researching new technologies here so that we can deliver solutions that nobody has ever seen before.
Openness: a key to success
The special working atmosphere is plain to see in the openness between colleagues, in their conversations and in their willingness to learn from one another. Lena Sommnitz describes the dynamic in the development centre: ‘You get a general sense of what other teams are doing, you can learn from each other and pick up new ideas.’ Regular events like the Tech Fair provide insights into all projects and allow us to join together.
Ulm makes a great location, since it offers the perfect blend of city and nature, innovative strength and quality of life. ‘Having the Science Park, the university and lots of international companies based here, Ulm is a veritable tech hub – making it the ideal place for us to start moulding the future,’ enthuses Michael.
