Your Partner for Industrial Software and Digital Transformation Solutions

Graphic that shows different areas of Industry 4.0

Shaping tomorrow's smart manufacturing together

At Kontron AIS, we open the door to the digital future of completely connected and automated manufacturing. For over 30 years, in following our guiding principle “The Benchmark in Industrial Software,” we have been dedicated to the development of industrial software for equipment control and integration, factory and manufacturing automation, process and machine automation, digitalization strategies and rail technology. 

Today, Kontron AIS is backed by over 250 dedicated employees whose passion is software. Our proven software products and custom-built solutions enable machine manufacturers and production facilities to cover new ground in automation to secure long-term competitive advantages.

We are proud to work with our customers on the implementation of intelligent digitalization strategies across industries for tomorrow's smart manufacturing. In the process, we have gained a wide range of experience – from the semiconductor, photovoltaic, automotive, food and pharmaceutical industries to vacuum and coating technology as well as rail technology. 

Worldwide, we have already implemented the following projects:Our range of services includes:
  • 7,500 control systems
  • 15,000 integration solutions
  • 500 PLC projects
  • 85 MES and factory monitoring systems
  • 120 line controllers
  • 20 marshalling yards
  • Software products 
  • Software development
  • Consulting and requirement analysis
  • Project management and training
  • Hardware supply for control and IT systems
  • Installation and commissioning on site
  • Project management and training

Company philosophy

Building bridges to the future
With the megatrends of Industry 4.0 and IIoT that have arrived in manufacturing, companies are facing new challenges when dealing with modern software solutions, digital business models and modern technologies in automation and control system technology. We support machine manufacturers with our software products and digital transformation solutions. With our experience, you too can successfully follow your path to tomorrow's smart manufacturing in a digital future.

Making the impossible possible
In order to remain competitive, industrial automation requires not only proven software products, but also customized software solutions with industry or domain-specific optimizations. With our know-how, we respond to your individual requirements and wishes and support you with tailor-made solutions. This allows you to remain flexible and get exactly the automation solution that suits your industry, your product and your customer needs.

Maintaining a reliable partnership
Our customers appreciate our expertise in the area of automation, easy accessibility, the high quality of our work and our ability to stick to delivery deadlines. Because customer satisfaction is our top priority, we use systematic feedback rounds to obtain valuable input to improve our product and service quality. This is how we lay the foundation for long-term customer relationships and joint growth.

Growing together sustainably
As a company, we take responsibility for our employees, customers and suppliers, as well as for society and the environment. Sustainable corporate management, the active design of our working methods and a modern corporate culture bring together these diverse interests as part of our corporate social responsibility and lay the basis for future-oriented and sustainable growth.

Connected in networks and the region
With our head office in Dresden, we are firmly rooted in Saxony. Most of our employees live and work in the region around the state capital. From here, we are also closely connected and active in diverse networks such as Silicon Saxony e.V., the Saxony Trade and Invest Agency and the Automation Network Dresden, of which we are also a co-founder.

Development tools and technologies

When developing our software products and services for automation projects, we use a variety of development tools and technologies.

Programming languages
  • C#
  • C++
  • JavaScript
  • TypeScript
  • Python
Frameworks
  • .NET
  • Angular 
  • React
  • React.Native
Cloud technologies
  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure OCI
  • Microsoft Azure
Web technologies
  • HTML5
  • CSS
  • Angular
  • React
  • Microsoft ASP
  • Oracle APEX
  • JavaScript
  • TypeScript
Middleware
  • OPC UA
  • REST
  • MSMQ
  • ZeroMQ
  • TIB
  • MQTT
Mobile applications
  • React.Native
Data science and big data
  • Python
  • TensorFlow
  • Jupyter Notebooks
  • ScikitLearn
  • Edge Insights for Industrial EII
Databases
  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • Oracle Database
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • SQLite
Operating systems
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Linux
  • iOS
  • Android
Automation know-how
  • Siemens (TIA, STEP 7)
  • WinCC
  • CODESYS
  • Beckhoff (TwinCAT)
  • B&R
  • Omron

Company history

  • We are more than 250 dedicated employees with a passion for industrial software. We want to continue to grow in the future – which is why we are constantly evolving and never stand still so that we can meet the diverse requirements of industrial digitalization and pave the way for our customers to achieve tomorrow's smart manufacturing. 

  • The confidentiality, availability and integrity of information is of great importance to us. The first TISAX (Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange) assessment we passed from the ENX Association, has seen us take an important step towards information security certification for the automotive industry. This officially confirms our company-wide high security standards for handling and sharing confidential and sensitive data.

  • 30th anniversary: 30 years ago, three engineers and five employees founded the Society for Automation and Information Systems (AIS) in Dresden. In 2020, the company now has 160 employees and is an important employer in Dresden. We are shaping the world of industrial automation with our software products and solutions.

  • Since October 2019, we have become part of S&T AG, today's Kontron AG, a leading IoT technology company with more than 4,500 employees in more than 20 countries. The combination of Kontron AG's portfolio and our products and solutions gives us the opportunity to expand our footprint in the area of digitalization, IIoT and Industry 4.0.

  • The requirements for data security and cyber security continue to increase. We accept this challenge and have been certified for the first time in the area of developing software as a service in the cloud in accordance with ISO 27001.

  • As of autumn 2011, we are a subsidiary of Roth & Rau AG (today Meyer Burger (Germany) GmbH) and therefore also part of the Meyer Burger Group, which enables us to offer an extensive service and support network. Our specialists are available in Germany, China, Taiwan and the USA and, together with all the other service organizations within the group, we ensure comprehensive global service and support.

  • At the beginning of 2008, we become a subsidiary of the Roth & Rau Group, which gives us unlimited flexibility for projects worldwide.

  • We are growing and innovations need space: we expand our company headquarters with a second building just across the street.

  • A move is imminent, as we move into our first own company building in Dresden Reick. Previously, our 47 employees worked from an office complex in the Niedersedlitz district of Dresden.

  • We have a passion for quality – and the fact that this doesn't just apply to our software is witnessed by our first TÜV certification in accordance with ISO:9001.

  • We are involved in the German Space Program and teach space robots how to walk; we also process and visualize the data obtained by the robots and contribute to the detection of space debris, among other things. New business areas such as rail and transport technology and production automation are gradually being developed, including line controllers for assembly lines. Following the establishment of further semiconductor factories in Dresden, we add solutions for factory-wide monitoring systems and MES systems for the photovoltaic industry to our portfolio.

  • On July 10, 1990, the Society for Automation and Information Systems is founded in Dresden with 8 employees. The company specializes in automating vacuum technology machinery based on control systems operating in real time. From the outset, we have worked towards launching a legacy development platform, which is also the groundwork for our current products, such as ToolCommander®.

Certifications to ensure your security

Information and data security are our top priority. That is why we design our software solutions and services in accordance with the latest guidelines and standards. 

ISO 27001:2017

Our information security management system is certified as software as a service in the cloud in accordance with DIN EN ISO/IEC 27001:2017. It ensures the confidentiality, availability and integrity of all the information that we process.

Download ISO 27001:2017 certificate

 

ISO 9001:2015

Our quality management of software development for the areas of automation and information technology is certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2015. It ensures the quality of our work at every stage of development and provides the basis for sustainable success. 

Download ISO 9001:2015 certificate

TISAX label

TISAX (Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange) promotes the joint acceptance of information security assessments in the automotive industry on behalf of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA).

Our test results on the exchange platform
 

Company culture

Team spirit, fun at work and an appreciative, family-friendly working environment are our top priorities. To achieve this, we rely on working together on equal terms, mutual respect, and a high level of transparency. We practice open communication based on equality with an honest feedback culture and appreciation. With employee barbecues, regular management open days, team events, health offers, a wide range of benefits and flexible work arrangements, we foster our modern corporate culture and create a shared sense of unity. Why? Because we know that our colleagues are the backbone of our company and that we can only grow and look to the future together.

One team

More than 200 employees work together from our headquarters in Dresden, at our branch office in Fürth, in our offices in Jena and Limbach-Oberfrohna, and from home. Equality, mutual understanding and a high degree of transparency about what we do, why and how, are key to our corporate culture. 

A high level of personal responsibility and the freedom to actively shape corporate development in a team are just as important to us as appreciative communication and a healthy and honest feedback culture. As a result, we promote open discussions, reduce inhibitions and are on first name terms at all levels. 
 

Flexible work arrangements

An appreciative and family-friendly working environment is not an empty statement; it is something we strive for every day. This includes flexible working hours to balance personal needs and interests with professional obligations, as well as the opportunity to work from home or in the office. We are convinced that this flexibility helps our employees stay healthy, maintains their capacity for innovation, and give their best every day.

Personal development

In addition to interesting and exciting tasks in the world of industrial software, we give our employees the opportunity to develop their creativity, passion and personal strengths. We offer a wide range of internal development opportunities, space for individual professional and demand-oriented further education. In doing so, we support our employees in their personal development and benefit from a lot of new input, which they contribute to the ongoing development of our projects, products and processes.

Benefits

We offer our employees various benefits – from births and weddings, our children's Christmas party and summer party for the whole family to a voucher card, to which we add EUR 44 tax-free every month. Of course, benefits also include the obligatory fruit basket, team and company events, bicycle leasing with JobRad, a job ticket for public transport, the annual Christmas party and discounted gym membership.

Health promotion

From ergonomic office and technical equipment to weekly massage therapy, we invest in the wellbeing of our employees. On our annual Health Day, we provide healthy buffets and smoothie bars, to mindfulness and resilience strengthening, yoga and adventure walks. That is how we make an active contribution to health promotion.

Innovative strength

The world of automation never stands still and continuous innovation is what drives us forward. To stay up to date, we are always looking out for new things, continue to develop our products, work agilely and apply the latest technologies. That is why we also participate in research projects and support the development of future-focused technologies. 

Future development

Only if we combine expert knowledge with the input provided by new talent and unique people can we continue to grow and look to the future together. Promoting young talent is therefore particularly important to us in order to counteract the shortage of skilled workers by offering internships and placements while writing theses.

Fair salaries

We focus on remuneration in line with the market and the same salary levels for all genders. In our company, the same job merits the same pay.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Sustainable living, working and action is a central part of our company culture and is something we strive to achieve every day. As part of the internal concept for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), we bundle all activities and place them on a strategic foundation. We combine our economic strategies with ecological, social, sustainable and fair corporate governance in order to position our company as a future-focused partner over the long term for our employees, customers and suppliers. 

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Economic responsibility

We achieve our economic success while taking social and environmental interests into account in order to sustain future-focused growth. With our software products and digital transformation solutions, we actively contribute to making modern manufacturing more efficient and increasingly sustainable as a consequence. We use the latest technologies and development tools, design our software for long-term reliability and support our customers with regular updates. In doing so, we are also laying the foundation for long-term customer relationships.

Graphic that symbolized ecological responsibility

Environmental responsibility

We are minimizing our own environmental footprint. Ultimately, we focus on sustainable work processes and efficient and responsible use of resources in order to reduce the environmental impact of our business activities. We plant trees, hold remote meetings whenever possible, travel by train and are converting our vehicle fleet to e-mobility. We generate a large part of our electricity requirements ourselves with the PV systems on our roofs, provide our employees with charging facilities for their electric vehicles and use JobRad to promote the switch to bicycles.

Graphic that symbolizes social responsibility

Social responsibility

Our social responsibility ranges from the high regard we have for our employees and an active work-life balance in private and professional life, to fair and competitive pay as well as an equal opportunities company culture with gender-independent pay levels for the same job. This is how we keep the staff turnover rate as low as possible and prevent the loss of valuable colleagues and their know-how. We also support social and charitable organizations through donations. 

What we've achieved so far

As of August, 2023

  • 35 t carbon emissions saved in 1.5 years
  • 32 % power demand covered by our own PV systems
  • 68 % electricity sourced from renewable energy
  • > 1,200 trees planted
  • > 90 % long-standing customer base
  • 100 % recommendation on kununu in the last 2 years
  • 24 % employees are women
  • 1.5 % staff turnover
  • 12 % employees use JobRad
  • EUR 33,000 donations to charitable and social organizations over the past 5 years

Current research projects

Research projects strengthen innovative power and competitiveness, while at the same time making an essential contribution to the development of future focused technologies. Here is an overview of our current research projects.

OptiLearn

Optimized metrology for c-Si solar processes using combined and networked measurement apporaches and a data concept based on machine learning

Overall goal: Through the “OptiLearn” project, measurement technology manufacturers, software providers and research institutions want to combine their respective competencies in order to jointly research new technologies for monitoring, analysis and forecasting in solar cell production. The planned work, with a strong focus on new measurement methods and applications as well as data processing, should enable industrial partners to continue to play their role in the future as suppliers and remain competitive in the cost-driven photovoltaic market.

By providing technologies that increase the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) of cell lines, the project partners are making an important contribution to highlighting cost reduction potential. The developments are initially based on current cell and module technologies. However, it is expected that the need for appropriate production monitoring through inline measurement technology will increase significantly for future, more complex technologies, such as heterojunction cells, cells with passivated contacts, and tandem perovskite cells.

Partner:

  • Fraunhofer CSP 
  • WAVELABS Solar Metrology Systems GmbH 
  • InfraTec GmbH 
  • Xactools GmbH 
  • CE Cell Engineering GmbH

Funded by: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection 

Duration: August 8, 2021 – July 31, 2024

Funding number: 03EE1108D

Collaborative project KISS-PV

Title: Flexible data management and integration of continuously learning AI models in production control systems

Overall goal: The “KISS-PV” project focuses on the development of a digital twin of solar cells to characterize and optimize the cells in solar cell production. For this purpose, combined methods of artificial intelligence and solar cell simulation are being developed.

This innovative concept of theory-based data analysis enables access to hidden physical parameters purely on the basis of measurement data that can be recorded inline and thus a physical loss analysis of each individual cell. This intuitive representation of complex measurement data enables a new quality of cell monitoring and production processes, as well as a quantitative potential analysis of changes in cell design and production technologies. The development is a central building block for the self-optimizing production strived for in the next stage.

Partner:

  • Fraunhofer ISE
  • ISRA Vision AG
  • h.a.l.m. Elektronik GmbH

Funded by: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action

Duration: February 1, 2022 – January 21, 2025

Funding number: 03EE1129C

H2Giga

Technology development for water electrolysis on a gigawatt scale

Title: Quality assurance in outsourced distributed volume production of high-temperature electrolyzers

Overall goal: As a part of contract manufacturing, Sunfire GmbH outsources large parts of electrolyzer production. At the same time, the production and process data for the manufacturing steps are to be collected by the various contractors and made available centrally for quality control and planning.

In this sub-project, a suitable IT environment is created for collecting, storing and evaluating all relevant data across the entire process chain in order to achieve optimal traceability of the individual electrolyzers and their respective components.

Partner:

  • Sunfire GmbH
  • DECHEMA Forschungsinstitut - DFI
  • DBI Gas- und Umwelttechnik GmbH
  • TU Freiberg - Technische Mechanik - Festkörpermechanik
  • IMK automotive GmbH
  • Xenon Automatisierungstechnik GmbH
  • SMA Solar Technology GmbH

Funded by: Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Duration: November 1, 2021 – June 30, 2025

Funding number: 03HY125H

Networks and strategic partnerships

Together we are stronger – and that is why we are members and partners in various associations, interest groups and networks. This enables us to actively promote the development of technologies and remain informed at all times in order to offer our customers future-proof solutions.

  • German Oracle user group
  • Network, information and exchange platform for Oracle users
  • Member since 2013
  • https://www.doag.org/
  • European society of thin films
  • Non-profit organization in the field of thin-film technology
  • Member since 2004
  • https://efds.org/
  • Association for data protection and data security, which advocates purpose-driven, justifiable and technically feasible data protection
  • Member since 2013
  • https://www.gdd.de/
  • Industry consortium to standardize industrial automation devices and systems using OPC
  • As an OPC corporate member, we develop individual solutions based on OPC standards
  • Member since 2018
  • https://opcfoundation.org/
  • As an Oracle partner, we use Oracle infrastructure as a basis for selected software products, relying on a reliable global technology provider
  • Member since 2004
  • https://www.oracle.com/
  • International industry association that unifies the entire semiconductor development and manufacturing supply chain
  • Member since 2002
  • https://www.semi.org/
  • Saxony's largest high-tech network, one of Germany's largest ICT clusters and Europe's largest microelectronics cluster 
  • Member since 2002
  • https://silicon-saxony.de/
  • Mechanical engineering companies with a common interface concept (Universal Machine Technology Interface) based on OPC UA
  • Member since 2020
  • https://umati.org/
  • Mechanical Engineering Network Saxony
  • Open technology and product platform for sharing experience and transferring technology across industries, for market expansion and for developing synergies
  • Member since 2015
  • https://www.vemas-sachsen.de/