Champions of Manufacturing — QAD | Redzone, the company behind the world’s number one platform for manufacturers, including Redzone’s Connected Workforce Solution for frontline workers, announced it is expanding its presence in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH). As part of that growth, the company will bring its annual Champions of Manufacturing customer conference to Munich on October 8–9, 2026.

The expansion comes as DACH manufacturers fall behind on digital adoption: the 2026 Industry 4.0 Barometer survey of 1,206 respondents from industrial companies finds the region’s digitalization degree at 57 percent, trailing the 68 percent global average, while just 37 percent of DACH manufacturers use AI in production, compared with 71 percent in China and 57 percent in the US. Redzone is strengthening its commitment to the DACH region as manufacturers work to close that digital gap. For example, Redzone hosts DACH customer data in local AWS Frankfurt cloud infrastructure, in compliance with GDPR and emerging AI data sovereignty standards.

Beyond the digitalization gap, Redzone addresses other pressures reshaping DACH manufacturing: skilled-worker shortages, rising costs, and the need to raise productivity with existing headcount. In Germany’s mechanical engineering sector, nearly one in five companies still report a shortage of qualified workers, according to the ifo Institute’s February 2026 Business Survey even as the shortage has begun to ease nationally.

Manufacturers using Redzone achieve an average productivity increase of 26 percent in as little as 90 days, while also improving quality performance and workforce engagement. DACH manufacturers including Heinerle-Berggold Schokoladen GmbH and Ornua Deutschland GmbH are already seeing results — examples of Redzone’s growing regional impact.

“Implementing Redzone was a very good decision. Communication on the shop floor has improved significantly, information is no longer lost, and thanks to the compliance module, we’ve gone completely paperless in less than 120 days. At the same time, we’ve been able to increase our Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) by 5.9 percent and reduce downtime by 11 percent,” said Roberto Fuchs, Production Manager at Heinerle-Berggold Schokoladen GmbH.

Trusted by more than 2,000 factories worldwide and with more than a decade of experience supporting manufacturers across Europe, Redzone connects frontline employees, supervisors, and plant leaders in a shared digital environment that combines real-time production visibility, collaboration, compliance, quality management, and continuous improvement workflows. By making operational information visible and actionable across shifts, departments, and sites, manufacturers can identify bottlenecks faster, reduce downtime, improve first-pass quality, and sustain performance improvements over time.

How Agentic AI Is Improving Manufacturing Productivity

The Redzone platform also includes ChampionAI, a suite of AI agents built for manufacturing environments. It learns from real frontline activity, operational data, and proven best practices to help manufacturers catch issues before they escalate and act on the right insight at the right moment — shifting teams from reactive to proactive operations.

On the shop floor, that means streamlined workflows, standardized best practices, and continuous improvement that compounds across sites. Combined with Redzone’s Connected Workforce Solution, ChampionAI turns operational data into results manufacturers can act on: higher asset utilization, stronger quality performance, and a more engaged workforce.

“Redzone delivers measurable outcomes across the areas manufacturers care most about: productivity, quality, maintenance, and reliability. What sets us apart is that we do it in 90 days — not years,” said Ahmad Salama, General Manager EMEA & APJ at Redzone. “By connecting frontline workers, operational data, and AI-driven guidance in a single environment, manufacturers can clear bottlenecks, reduce downtime, improve first-pass quality, and build the continuous improvement culture that sustains results at scale.”

About Champions of Manufacturing

QAD | Redzone’s Champions of Manufacturing Europe is a two-day event bringing together plant managers, production leaders, operational excellence teams, and manufacturing executives to share practical strategies for improving productivity, quality and operational performance.

Munich is the second stop in the 2026 Champions of Manufacturing event series. The annual Americas event took place in Chicago on September 21-23, 2026, where the company unveiled its Manufacturing Intelligence vision and a broad portfolio of agentic AI launch announcements, including Champion Assist, new persona-based Champions, improved integration between Redzone Connected Workforce and QAD Adaptive ERP, and plans to integrate NVIDIA technologies into QAD | Redzone’s Manufacturing Platform.

Munich brings that momentum to the DACH region, giving European manufacturers the same direct access to live product demonstrations, customer proof points, and the people running AI in their workflows today. The full list of Champions of Manufacturing announcements is available in the QAD Newsroom.

Attendees will:

  • Hear real-world manufacturing success stories from manufacturers already using AI to automate workflows and cut operational bottlenecks.

  • Explore how Connected Workforce technologies, real-time operational data, and agentic AI help manufacturers speed up decision-making and continuous improvement.

  • See live demonstrations of ChampionAI in action in manufacturing environments.

  • Celebrate winners of the inaugural QAD Redzone International Community Awards.

Among the highlights: a panel discussion with Ken Fisher, President of Redzone; Ahmad Salama, General Manager EMEA & APJ, Redzone; and European manufacturing customers sharing how they are driving operational transformation at the frontline with agentic AI. The event will also mark the first-ever presentation of QAD Redzone’s international “Celebrating Manufacturing Miracles” Community Awards, recognizing organizations that have achieved outstanding improvements in productivity, asset availability and workforce performance.

Media interested in attending Champions of Manufacturing Europe can request press accreditation using the contact information below.

About QAD | Redzone

QAD | Redzone is redefining manufacturing and supply chains through its intelligent, adaptive platform that connects people, processes, and technology into a single System of Action. With three core pillars — Redzone (frontline empowerment), Adaptive Applications (the intelligent backbone), and ChampionAI (agentic AI for manufacturing) — QAD | Redzone helps manufacturers operate with Champion Pace, achieving measurable productivity, resilience, and growth in as little as 90 days. To learn more, visit www.qad.com or call +1 805-566-6100. Find us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.

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