BACKBONE #012 – Daten, Produktion & Innovation – Wie EBK und Leitart den Mittelstand digitalisieren

🎙️ BACKBONE – The Entrepreneur Podcast | Episode #12 How does innovation really happen in medium-sized businesses? In this episode of Backbone, Jasmin Konnegen talks with Sebastian Grüber (EBK Krüger) and Sebastian Nädtke (Leitart) about digitalization, production control, business intelligence, and the emergence of new business models from real-world challenges. The story begins as a student project and evolves over the years into a company-wide digitalization strategy. Solutions emerge from internal challenges in production, purchasing, and controlling, solutions that later even become successful as independent business models in the market. Together, we discuss why crises are often the biggest drivers of innovation, how data creates transparency, and why true progress only arises from collaboration between people, processes, and technology. The story begins as a student project and develops over the years into a company-wide digitalization strategy. 🔍 Among other things, we'll be discussing: • The path from student trainee to responsible management roles • The digitalization of production, purchasing, and logistics • Why data is a strategic success factor today • The emergence of Leitart from a real-world industrial problem • Business intelligence in SMEs • Efficiency gains through intelligent data use • The importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing • Why crises are often the trigger for innovation • Artificial intelligence in industry • The future of data-driven companies 💡 Chapters / Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and introduction to the panel of experts 00:22 Sebastian Grüber on his career path at EBK Krüger 01:50 Purchasing, production planning, and ERP migration 03:20 Sebastian Nädtke on his entry into digitalization 04:35 The financial crisis as a trigger for data-driven work 05:50 The path to business intelligence and data analysis 06:35 How Leitart emerged from internal solutions 08:05 Digitalization as a shared responsibility of EBK and Leitart 09:20 Increasing Efficiency in Production and Inventory Management 11:05 Collaboration as a Success Factor for Innovation 11:45 Why Customer Projects Provide New Impetus 13:15 The Value of Changing Perspectives and Sharing Knowledge 14:00 The First Digital Solution: Supplier Evaluation 15:50 Supply Chain Transparency in Times of Crisis 17:20 Utilizing Data Along the Entire Supply Chain 18:00 Production Controlling and Measurable Improvements 19:20 Reducing Processes from a Workday to 20 Minutes 20:00 Why Crises Often Offer the Greatest Opportunities 21:00 Recognizing Patterns Instead of Solving Individual Problems 22:20 Linking Data, Processes, and Decisions 23:15 Industry 4.0, AI, and the Next Stage of Development 24:20 What AI Can Do Today – and What It Can't 25:30 Why Humans Remain Crucial 26:00 Conclusion and Closing Remarks of the Expert Panel 🔗 Links & Recommendations 🌐 Dominik Göttler Consulting GmbH: https://dominikgoettler.de/ Initiative: Proudly Engineered in Europe https://www.proudlyengineeredineurope... 🤝 Guests in this episode: Jasmin Konnegen   / jkonnegen-eu-electronics-strategy   Sebastian Grüber – EBK Krüger GmbH & Co. KG   / gruebersebastian   https://www.ebk-gruppe.com/ Sebastian Nädtke – Leitart GmbH   / sebastian-n%c3%a4dtke-4a306a191   https://www.leitart.de/ Interview as part of BACKBONE, hosted by Dominik Göttler:   / dominik-goettler   💬 About BACKBONE Backbone – The podcast about mindset, change, and entrepreneurial strength. Here, Dominik Göttler talks with entrepreneurs, executives, and key players in industry about decisions, values, personal turning points, and business models. It's about leadership, responsibility, and what truly sustains companies – their backbone. 👉 New episodes every three weeks, on Fridays. 🎧 Produced by Dominik Göttler Consulting GmbH. #BackbonePodcast #SMEs #Digitalization #BusinessIntelligence #DataAnalysis #Production #Industry40 #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Leadership #EBKKrüger #Entrepreneurship #Transformation #Manufacturing #SmartFactory #IndustrialEngineering #DigitalTransformation #Podcast #Leadership #SMEDigital