akeno receives 4.5 million euros for real-time production planning
From BASF project to international rollout
Production plans quickly become outdated - they often lose 75 percent of their informative value within three days.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 result: unused capacity, superfluous stock and constant replanning. The Hamburg-based tech company akeno provides a remedy - with a globally unique, ai-based software for adaptive production planning in real time. The solution thinks for itself, adapts and automates processes sustainably. For this approach, akeno is now receiving 4.5 million euros in seed funding, led by Cusp Capital, together with TS Ventures and another.vc.
The 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. Here, parallel processes encounter tight capacity limits, heavily used systems and numerous disruptive factors - from fluctuations in raw material quality to variable production times and unforeseen machine failures.
Real-time production data and self-learning algorithms
akeno does not plan on the basis of fixed times or blanket assumptions. The software analyzes a wide range of operational data in real time - such as machine status, material availability and capacity utilization - 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.
"Anyone who bases production plans on outdated master data risks losing their competitiveness," says Co-Founder and CEO Alexander Ebbrecht. "Our vision is production planning that adapts completely autonomously to real events and conditions and optimizes plans in real time."
From BASF project to international rollout
akeno anticipates potential disruptions or bottlenecks in advance. For example, if a machine takes longer than expected or a new production window opens, akeno immediately suggests how orders can be rescheduled. This makes the production process dynamic and responsive - risks are minimized before they lead to a standstill. Large, well-known companies such as BASF Coatings, the Beckers Group and SunChemical rely on akeno: "BASF Coatings is excited to be working with akeno on an innovative project to enhance its production planning and scheduling. Their product promises to bring a new level of optimization and comprehensiveness to our processes," explains a representative of BASF Coatings.
A vision for the future of production planning
akeno was founded by Alexander Ebbrecht, Dmitrij Direktor and Steffen Ramm. Their vision: production planning that is intelligent and adaptive and no longer relies on rigidly defined values or Excel spreadsheets. "Our software uses real-time data from production, learns from past mistakes and continuously optimizes planning - for reliable delivery dates, reduced inventories and greater energy efficiency," says Ebbrecht.
Strong market fit and growth potential
"akeno uses the increased availability of operational technology data for AI-based, real-time optimized production planning. The solution achieves impressive results such as higher plant utilization and reduced working capital. The focus is currently on the chemical industry, but other batch industries such as pharmaceuticals and food are also benefiting. However, many companies are still working with outdated tools and reactive processes," says Dr. Maximilian Rowoldt, Investor and General Partner at Cusp Capital. "akeno has the potential to become a central building block of 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 sectors. Having already entered the Chinese market, the company plans to expand into other international markets, including North America and other Asian countries. The seed round is the company's first major milestone since its foundation in 2021 and now paves the way for scaling the technology.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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