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October 15/16, 2026 in Frankfurt
The 15th R&D Autumn Conference in Frankfurt will focus on the Application
of Artificial Intelligence in Product Development. The conference will explore how R&D managers and their teams are already
leveraging AI across different stages of the development process, as well as how AI technologies are becoming integral parts
of the products themselves. Topics will include the use of AI in concept generation, system design, engineering, testing and
lifecycle management, alongside AI-enabled product functionalities, intelligent systems and data-driven services. Speakers
from various industrial sectors will share their experiences, practical use cases and lessons learned, providing insights into
how AI is transforming both day-to-day R&D work and the next generation of innovative products.
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Our industrial partner will be Diehl Aerospace,
a joint venture between the
German Diehl Stiftung & Co. KG and the French Thales Group. The company develops and manufactures avionics and cabin systems
for commercial aircraft, business jets and military aviation applications. Its portfolio includes cockpit displays, flight
control and power supply systems, lighting solutions and electronic cabin components, supplied to major aircraft manufacturers
such as Airbus and Boeing.
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The event will start on Thursday around noon - we will hold our afternoon session in the
Relaxa Hotel
in Frankfurt. The hotel is close to the premises of Diehl. For relaxation it offers the fitness club "relexa Sport & Fun", with Finnish sauna, steam room,
fitness and relaxation room.
The Friday session will be held at the premises of Diehl Aerospace. The visit will include a Factory Tour and will finish after lunch.
Since 2007, the conference has been held at various locations across Europe to discuss and explore current technology and management topics. The event
provides a forum for managers from different industries to meet peers, discuss topics of mutual interest and share best practices. Please have a look at
the details of recent conferences.
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Conference Programme
Click on the talk titles for further information. The programme may be subject to change.
THURSDAY, October 15, 2026
Location: Relaxa Hotel, Lurgiallee 2, 60439 Frankfurt
12:30 Get Together and Standing Lunch
14:00 Afternoon Session
Setting the Scene
Welcome and Introduction
About the conference, the programme, the participants, logistics ...
Kontrapunkt Technology provides consultancy services in technology, innovation and strategy to industrial enterprises. Our
expertise is in the optimisation of product innovation, strategic technology planning and assessment, strategic business
development and establishing international collaboration. We also step in as an interim manager to fill a temporary vacancy in your organisation.
Smart Mobility
Applying AI in Industrial Software Development and Smart Mobility
In this presentation, Tobias shares practical experiences with the application of artificial intelligence in both software development processes and AI-enabled parking solutions. Using the
cloud-based parking platform "entervo infinite" as an example, the session highlights current AI use cases in areas such as market analysis, software engineering and operational support.
The presentation also addresses key challenges including intellectual property protection, organizational adoption, and skills development. In addition, insights are given into the
integration of AI directly into products to improve operational efficiency and system reliability. The talk concludes with an interactive discussion on lessons learned, open
questions and emerging AI opportunities in the parking domain.
Scheidt & Bachmann is a global provider of system solutions for mobility and transport applications. The company develops technologies for parking, fuel retail, public transport and railway
systems, supporting mobility infrastructure in many countries worldwide. Founded in 1872 and headquartered in Mönchengladbach, Germany, the family-owned company employs around 3,500 people
across approximately 30 international subsidiaries.
AI Automation
Stop Hiring - Keep Growing with AI
This keynote shows how AI agents and modular toolchains can automate entire workflows, turbocharge operations, unlock hidden capacity and scale output without
increasing headcount. Real-world examples demonstrate how companies are achieving tenfold productivity gains while keeping teams lean, focused and innovative.
Learn how to turn AI from a buzzword into a true force multiplier. You will also receive a practical AI playbook covering where to start and how to select the
right frameworks and tools.
COLOP is an independent commercial company which deals with the development, production, assembly and
distribution of modern stamp and marking devices. COLOP is regarded as one of the region's flagship
companies and is a global player within the industry with an export rate of nearly 98 % and more than
120 export markets supplied on a regular basis.
Alex BRETON · CEO of PrintDreams International AB · CTO of COLOP Digital GmbH· Wels (Austria)
AI Engineering
AI-Native Product Development in Enterprise Software
This session explores practical aspects of transforming a large-scale enterprise software development organization towards an AI-native software development lifecycle
(SDLC). The presentation discusses key prerequisites, critical success factors and lessons learned when integrating AI into day-to-day development processes. A live
demonstration will showcase selected tools such as Claude Code and OpenClaw, illustrating how AI can support software engineering workflows and knowledge management.
In addition, the session introduces a pragmatic approach for curating organizational knowledge into a continuously growing knowledge base that compounds value over time.
Guido SCHROEDER · CTO in sabbatical · Woodside, CA
AI Platforms
Beyond the Chatbot: Turning your Products into AI-Ready Platforms
Most enterprises have spent the past two years bolting LLM features onto the side of their products. The next wave is the inverse: making the products themselves accessible to any LLM
on any platform. This is the difference between an AI that merely sounds confident and one that is actually correct, auditable and safe to deploy. The presentation explores how public
LLMs, when provided with the right context, can deliver more meaningful results than custom-trained models. It also discusses how roles and access rights can be derived directly from
the user to ensure personalization, compliance and data governance by design. In addition, the session demonstrates approaches that enable LLMs to verify their own outputs before
information is committed, sent or executed. Together, these concepts illustrate how enterprise products can evolve into secure and AI-ready platforms.
Smarter Systems is a technology company focused on secure and AI-ready enterprise platforms. The company develops architectures that enable large language models to interact reliably
with enterprise applications while maintaining governance, compliance and user-specific access control. Its work focuses on trustworthy AI integration and the transformation of existing
software products into intelligent AI-enabled platforms.
Benjamin LUTZ · Founder, AI Enthusiast & Consultant · Smarter Systems · Unterägeri (Switzerland)
Local AI Processing
Edge AI - What is it, what can it do & when should I consider it?
While much global attention has focused on large AI models running in massive data centres, Edge AI offers an alternative by running more compact models locally,
thereby reducing power consumption, latency and security risks. We will look at several examples of how this can be implemented and where it should be considered
in order to create tangible value.
42 Technology is a product development and engineering consultancy. They solve difficult technical problems and develop new and exciting
products for their clients. They are a practical and pragmatic group that enjoys hands-on problem solving that gets their clients the
answers that they need. Taking the time to understand their problems is therefore a very important part of 42's development process.
further talks in preparation
18:30 Dinner
FRIDAY, October 16, 2026
Location: Diehl Aerospace, An der Sandelmühle 13, 60439 Frankfurt
08:00 Transfer to Diehl
08:30 Welcome and Introduction
09:00 Morning Session
Trusted AI
Hallucination-Free AI: Building Reliable AI Solutions for Industrial Applications
In industrial environments, the successful adoption of artificial intelligence depends not only on performance, but also on reliability, traceability and trustworthiness.
This presentation provides insights into how Würth approaches the development and application of AI solutions in a context where incorrect or hallucinated results are not acceptable.
The session discusses technical and organizational measures for increasing robustness and ensuring dependable AI behavior, including validation strategies, controlled data
environments and human oversight. In addition, practical experiences and lessons learned from implementing AI within innovation and business processes are shared.
The presentation offers a pragmatic perspective on how companies can balance innovation speed with the high quality and safety requirements of industrial applications.
Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG in Künzelsau is the largest single company in the Würth Group. The Würth Group is the global market leader in the development, production and sale
of assembly and fastening materials. The Group currently employs more than 88,000 employees in over 400 companies with more than 2,800 shops across 80 countries. According
to the preliminary annual financial statements, the Group generated sales of EUR 20.7 billion in the 2023 fiscal year.
Safety-Critical AI
Applying AI to Software Verification in Safety-Critical Aerospace Systems
The development and verification of avionics software is subject to the highest safety, quality and certification requirements. This presentation explores how artificial
intelligence can support the generation of low-level software test cases within a safety-critical aerospace environment. The session provides insights into practical approaches,
potential efficiency gains and the challenges of applying AI in highly regulated development processes. In addition, we will discuss validation, traceability and compliance
aspects, as well as the role of human oversight in ensuring reliable and certifiable results. The presentation offers a pragmatic perspective on how AI can enhance software verification
activities while meeting the strict standards of the aerospace industry.
Diehl Aerospace a joint venture between the
German Diehl Stiftung & Co. KG and the French Thales Group. The company develops and manufactures avionics and cabin systems
for commercial aircraft, business jets and military aviation applications. Its portfolio includes cockpit displays, flight
control and power supply systems, lighting solutions and electronic cabin components, supplied to major aircraft manufacturers
such as Airbus and Boeing.
10:30 Factory Tour at Diehl Aerospace
12:00 Lunch
13:30 End of Conference
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Registration
The conference fee is EUR 590. The fee includes standing lunch, beverages during the conference, dinner, one night's accommodation,
breakfast, lunch after the factory tour and all conference materials.
Registration deadline: July 17, 2026.
To register, please complete the form below and submit it to the conference office. You will receive a confirmation by email.
Alternatively, you may Register by Email (m.paping@kontrapunkt-technology.com).
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