IEN Europe: JUMO celebrated a big anniversary in 2023, the 75th anniversary of the company. Can you briefly introduce our readers to some of the most important development highlights on the way from thermometer manufacturer to global supplier of sensor and automation solutions?
D. Charisiadis: The M. K. JUCHHEIM thermometer factory was founded in Fulda in 1948, even before two German states were founded, and exhibited at HANNOVER MESSE 1949. In 1966, the production of platinum-glass sensors began, and measuring and control devices on an electronic basis were also added to the product range. In 1978, JUMO was the first company to use processors in control technology. In the 1990s, JUMO produced high-tech devices, process control systems, smart transmitters, bus technology, and state-of-the-art visualization software. At the beginning of the 2000s, JUMO grew in the Asian and Eastern European markets and was able to open up new target groups with complete automation systems.
Today, we position ourselves as a leading system and solution provider for a wide range of industries. We offer an innovative range for the entire automation pyramid.
IEN Europe: What is the current situation of the JUMO Group in terms of turnover and number of employees? How are the production and sales locations distributed?
D. Charisiadis: We still generate the largest turnover in Germany, where we also have the highest number of employees of around 2,500 worldwide with around 1,500 employees.
In view of our new SENSILO plant, Fulda remains our most important production location. We still have larger production units in China, Romania and France, and smaller production facilities in Belgium and Austria, for example. Local conditions play a major role here. We want to be close to our customers, but we also need a certain degree of flexibility. For example, the glass industry is an important JUMO customer in Spain and the railroad industry in Switzerland. All of this has to be taken into account in the global production process. We are represented by sales companies in all relevant and fast-growing markets.
At the moment, the order and sales situation is challenging. We are also feeling the effects of the recession in Germany, as we are broadly positioned with our portfolio and supply many industries. We are taking all measures to safeguard the jobs of our employees.
IEN Europe: A brief enquiry in the direction of international activities, India is increasingly becoming a focus for many companies. What is the situation at JUMO?
D. Charisiadis: JUMO has been active in the Indian market for 16 years, but we import most of our products. Our customers value ‘Made in Germany’. However, we naturally want to continue to grow in India, and in the medium term this will also involve setting up our own production capacities. One example of how the situation on a market can change quite quickly is China. German products were also very popular there, but today people there ask whether a product is manufactured locally. If not, that is a clear disadvantage.
IEN Europe: In your opinion, what are the core elements in the JUMO DNA that have made it possible to develop and expand the product and solution portfolio so consistently over such a long period of time?
D. Charisiadis: Our JUMO DNA is defined by the following topics:
- Innovative strength and technology leadership: JUMO has always placed a strong focus on research and development. Through early investment in new technologies and continuous innovation, we have succeeded in keeping our finger on the pulse and always being able to offer our customers state-of-the-art solutions.
- Customer proximity and market orientation: Close cooperation with our customers has enabled us to understand their requirements and challenges precisely and to respond to them in a targeted manner. This customer orientation flows into the development of customized products and solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of the respective industries.
- Employees and corporate culture: Our employees are the key to our success. Long-term expertise, a high level of commitment and a culture of cooperation and mutual trust have created the basis for continuous growth and further development as a company. This strong foundation has allowed us to sustainably expand our portfolio and establish ourselves as a reliable partner in the market.
These elements are deeply anchored in our corporate DNA and enable us to remain competitive.
IEN Europe: A current milestone for JUMO is the decision to build the new plant in Fulda. The plans include 10,000 m² of production space, a total of 13,000 m² of building space and an investment of around 50 million euros. What is the vision behind the new building project? And what is the current status?
D. Charisiadis: The construction work at the JUMO SENSILO plant in the Fulda-West Technology Park is progressing rapidly. After the planned relocation at the end of the year, production is to be gradually ramped up in spring 2025. The new building is primarily about digitalization, material flow optimization, reduction of cost structures and thus ultimately about efficiency gains in order to remain globally competitive. Sustainability is also important to us: the new plant will be energy self-sufficient. At around 50 million euros, the new building is the largest investment in JUMO's history. The new building is still on schedule and on budget. This is due in no small part to the dedication of project manager Stefan Reith and his team. .
IEN Europe: JUMO is known for its innovative products and systems - what are the current highlights that potential users can look forward to?
D. Charisiadis: At SPS 2024, which took place just recently, we didn't focus on a single product, but rather presented ourselves as a leading system and solution provider for a wide range of industries. With our innovative range, we cover the entire automation pyramid, from sensors to the cloud. We made this clear at SPS using the example of our brewing system. We will drive forward our positioning as a system and solution provider even more strongly in 2025.
IEN Europe: The current economic situation in Germany and Europe is challenging, in which areas and sectors will JUMO see the drivers for positive development in the coming years?
D. Charisiadis: At JUMO, we see that Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) is significantly driving automation in the process industry. The topic of SPE was already present at the last SPS trade fairs and will be again this year. SPE is important for sensor and measurement technology as it simplifies the infrastructure and reduces installation costs. SPE also offers high data rates and is robust against industrial interference. In the future, I believe SPE will play a key role in the further digitalization of industrial environments by providing a simple, cost-effective and efficient way to integrate a large number of sensors in a network. This will play a significant role especially in Industry 4.0 and IIoT applications. JUMO offers three sensors that are SPE and IO-Link capable. In addition to this technological driver, it is the focus industries we have defined in which we are aiming for double growth. These coincide with megatrends such as clean water, food and investments in infrastructure (railroads).
IEN Europe: When it comes to data, digitalization and automation, the keyword AI has come up almost automatically in recent years. If you search for it on your website, there are currently no hits. How is JUMO positioning itself here, alone or with partners?
D. Charisiadis: AI is an important topic for us, and we will optimize its visibility on the homepage. For example, we are currently using AI as a supplement in the search function of our Software Help Center. Both customers and employees can use it to enter questions about our software products directly into the search field. The AI generates an immediate answer based on the online documentation. A time-consuming search within the operating instructions is not necessary.
We have our own working group dedicated to this topic. The first AI optimizations were already implemented in our production two years ago. We are currently in the process of introducing our own JUMO GPT internally.
In the future, we will also integrate AI into our products where it makes sense.
IEN Europe: Short final question: Is there a particularly outstanding application that has been successfully realized with JUMO products?
D. Charisiadis: Yes, the JUMO brewing plant designed for our 75th anniversary year was such an example and illustrates our expertise as a comprehensive system and solution provider. A total of 14 JUMO products were installed in the brewing system. Not only the brewing process is possible, but also CIP cleaning. We want to implement such applications even more worldwide with a focus on specific industries.
IEN Europe: Thank you for the interview!
