Industry 4.0
Voith drives digitalization forward
The mechanical engineering group Voith has acquired a 60% stake in the digital service provider Ray Sono. Together, the two companies want to establish a new business area for industry-related digitalization solutions.
The declared aim of the partnership is to develop digitalization solutions, particularly in the areas of the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0. Voith is taking on the role of pilot customer in this new business area at Ray Sono. Among other things, this involves the virtualization of machines and systems as well as the improvement of existing digital applications.
However, the expertise and resources of this new unit at Ray Sono will also be available to the agency's existing customers in future, significantly expanding their range of services. In other words, Ray Sono will continue to operate as an independent service provider in the B2C and B2B markets even after Voith acquires a majority stake.
Ray Sono, founded in 1992, currently employs around 200 people in Munich and Berlin and achieved a turnover of EUR 18.8 million last year. Its customers include Austrian Airlines, BMW, Brita, Datev, Deutsche Bahn, Linde, MAN, McDonald's and Miles & More.
Voith (19,000 employees, sales of EUR 4.3 billion) aims to play a key role in shaping the digital transformation in industry - including in the existing markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transportation & automotive. However, the Group also wants to develop digital solutions for new markets that are not yet served. In 2016, the Group Division Voith Digital Solutions was founded for this purpose, which now has around 1,500 employees and sales of around €300 million.
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