Knowledge platform enables efficient commissioning of digital printing systems worldwide.
When highly complex digital printing systems need to be commissioned in the USA, the mechanical and plant engineering company Hymmen faces a particular challenge: how can decades of expert knowledge—built up primarily in Germany—be passed on quickly and reliably to new employees on the customer side? The answer: with findIQ software.
findIQ GmbH, based in Vlotho, Germany has offered AI-based software for securing and transferring expert knowledge in machine service since 2022. Unlike generic Large Language Models (LLMs), findIQ uses a proprietary AI model to deliver precise, reliable answers—scalable across machines, locations, and countries. Leading companies from a wide range of industries already rely on the solution, from OEMs to manufacturers and service providers.
The challenge: Complex technology, vast distances
Hymmen, based in Bielefeld, manufactures digital printing systems using the DLEplus process, among other products—highly specialized custom machines with customer-specific features.
— Michel Ahring, Head of Division Service at Hymmen
The commissioning of systems overseas makes this especially clear: it is neither economical nor practical to constantly send experienced service technicians around the globe. At the same time—as in many other companies—there is a growing shortage of skilled workers who possess the necessary know-how.
The solution: Digital expert knowledge in the app
Hymmen has been working with findIQ since early 2023. The goal: to digitally capture the knowledge of long-serving service technicians and make it structurally accessible—for their own employees and for customers. After a few short months, a comprehensive knowledge base was already in place.
The key difference from traditional document repositories or generic AI solutions: findIQ uses a proprietary AI model that enables genuine knowledge transfer and delivers highly precise answers in an industrial context. While documents merely provide information, findIQ delivers contextual, step-by-step troubleshooting guidance—exactly as an experienced service technician would on site.
Practical benefits: Faster onboarding, autonomous problem-solving
The advantages are evident in several areas.
For Hymmen service technicians, the software means significantly shorter onboarding times. New employees can make independent customer visits more quickly, because they have access via the app to the full body of digitized expert knowledge— including the interpretation of error messages and concrete recommended actions.
For Hymmen customers, the findIQ software has become an integral part of the service offering in the digital printing segment. They can book various service packages, with access to the knowledge platform forming an important component. "This enables our customers to resolve certain machine problems themselves, without always having to contact us," says Ahring. This is a particular advantage for systems in the USA: time zone differences no longer matter when knowledge is digitally available around the clock.
Scalable and individually adaptable
The fact that Hymmen frequently deals with custom machines featuring customer-specific characteristics poses no problem for findIQ. Within the software, this is handled through foundational templates that are adapted for each individual machine and supplemented with specific information. Even complex systems can be mapped using what are known as "chains"—linked sequences. If system 1 causes a fault in the process that only becomes visible at system 3, this connection is captured within the software.
Outlook: Further product areas in progress
The digital printing systems segment is considered nearly complete at Hymmen. The East Westphalian company is currently working on integrating double belt presses and liquid coating systems into the platform. Hymmen has now accumulated considerable experience in knowledge transfer using findIQ software: "It's going faster now because we've had internal learning effects," reports Ahring. The knowledge base for digital printing systems, for example, was already 80 percent complete after about half a year.
"findIQ has shown us the fastest path to optimal use and monetization of scarce service know-how," Michel Ahring summarizes. "This allows us to give our customers help towards self-sufficiency—and that relieves us of the need to have service technicians on site around the clock in different countries around the world." And looking ahead, it is set to become an ever more compelling argument with customers when it comes to exporting technologically demanding systems to markets around the globe.
What solutions does findIQ's knowledge platform provide?
findIQ provides an AI-supported knowledge platform that captures and structures expert knowledge from experienced service technicians, transforming it into operational support, maintenance guidance, and strategic insights for industrial manufacturing and service organizations.
Why did Hymmen choose findIQ for commissioning its digital printing systems?
Hymmen chose findIQ because it needed a reliable way to transfer decades of expert service knowledge from Germany to new customer teams worldwide, especially in the USA. Instead of flying senior service technicians around the globe, Hymmen uses findIQ’s Industrial Knowledge Intelligence platform to deliver the same level of guidance digitally, so complex digital printing systems can be commissioned and operated efficiently even when local experience is limited.
How does findIQ help with the shortage of skilled service technicians at Hymmen and its customers?
findIQ uses Industrial AI to capture and structure expert know‑how so it can be delivered on demand, even to less experienced staff. Long‑serving technicians’ knowledge is turned into a guided knowledge base accessible via an app. New Hymmen service employees can handle customer visits sooner because they get step‑by‑step instructions, error‑code interpretation, and recommended actions. On the customer side, operators can solve many machine problems themselves without waiting for a specialist to be on site.
Can findIQ handle Hymmen’s customized digital printing systems and customer‑specific configurations?
Yes. findIQ is built for complex, customized industrial environments. It uses foundational templates that are adapted per machine and enriched with customer‑specific information, all managed within the Industrial Knowledge Intelligence platform. Even multi‑stage processes can be modeled as “chains,” so if a fault starts in system 1 but only appears in system 3, that dependency is captured and reflected in the troubleshooting guidance.
What concrete benefits has Hymmen seen from using findIQ in service and commissioning?
Hymmen has seen faster onboarding for new service technicians, who become productive in the field much earlier thanks to Industrial AI–driven access to expert knowledge. For customers, findIQ is now a core part of the digital printing service offering: they can choose service packages that include the platform and resolve many issues autonomously, irrespective of time zones. Overall, Hymmen can monetize scarce service know‑how more effectively while reducing the need to have technicians on site around the clock worldwide.
What is the difference between findIQ and generic AI or traditional document repositories?
Generic AI and static document repositories mostly return unstructured information or broad answers. findIQ is designed as an Industrial Knowledge Intelligence solution: it applies Industrial AI specifically to machine and service knowledge in an industrial context. Instead of just listing documents, it delivers contextual, step‑by‑step troubleshooting guidance that mirrors how an experienced Hymmen technician would diagnose and fix an issue on site.