From hype to added value: AI use in SMEs.

AI has arrived at the heart of society, but its use in SMEs is still limited. The experts at Bechtle Systemhaus Bremen are changing that – with customized concepts and a wealth of expertise. One result is AI assistants that bring concrete added value, for example by detecting defects in production parts, searching for plastic waste in the sea or determining the compatibility of medicines in goats.

Jannick Link und Martin Koch sprechen miteinander — Jannick Link (left) and Martin Koch are two experts from the Bechtle System House Bremen who are involved in the implementation of AI projects.

There is a lot of talk about artificial intelligence in German companies, but there are still uncertainties when it comes to using the technology. If you look into the production halls and open-plan offices of SMEs, there is still little evidence of AI. In January of this year, McKinsey and the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft published a study entitled “AI skills in German companies”. In this study, 86% of the companies surveyed stated that they were only exploiting a quarter of the potential of AI at most. Moreover, one in three companies (37 percent) does not yet use AI at all. The main reason given is usually the lack of appropriate specialists.

So is artificial intelligence currently only a playing field for international corporations and highly flexible start-ups? “No, because there are already SMEs that are generating concrete added value through AI – and the number is steadily increasing,” says Torsten Welke. He is Technical Director of the AI Solutions Competence Center at Bechtle in Bremen. The experts there create customer-specific AI solutions for medium-sized and large companies – and also for a non-profit organization.

The task was challenging because we had to set up a complex Kubernetes cluster on the software side.

Jannick Link, Head of Innovation in the Competence Center AI Solutions at Bechtle Bremen

AI simplifies everyday work – and the cleaning of the oceans.

Anyone who talks to Torsten Welke will learn how versatile and tangible the use of AI already is. Together with partners, Bechtle's experts are creating service agents that search databases for information at lightning speed, voice assistants that provide information about cleaning products, and AI-supported image recognition processes that scan production parts for defects or help to rid the world's oceans of waste. Together with the non-profit organization MI4People and Alexander Thamm GmbH, a leading provider of artificial intelligence in German-speaking countries, Bechtle Bremen's AI Solutions Competence Center has implemented an AI solution that evaluates Google satellite images to locate accumulations of plastic waste in the world's oceans. Environmental protection organizations can use this data to navigate to the relevant coordinates by ship and collect the waste there.

MI4People came up with the idea for the project, Alexander Thamm developed and trained the AI model for computer vision and Bechtle Systemhaus Bremen created the IT platform required for the project. “The task was challenging because we had to set up a complex Kubernetes cluster on the software side, which is operated using high-quality A100 graphics processors (GPUs) from NVIDIA on a Dell server,” explains Torsten Welke. In particular, working with Kubernetes, a system for managing software containers, requires a high level of knowledge. A great deal of expertise was also required when setting up the hardware platform. For example, multi-client capability had to be ensured on the server, which means that data from different customers is securely stored separately on the same hardware.

IT_Infrastruktur KI im Mittelstand Bild — As an IT system house, Bechtle has in-depth experience with a wide range of IT infrastructures and combines these with new technologies, services and platforms.

Automated quality management relieves employees.

The technology that detects plastic waste in the sea is also helping SMEs. Together with VIVALDI Digital Solutions GmbH, Bechtle has developed an AI-supported solution for the quality inspection of production parts - from engine blocks to SIM cards. It saves quality management employees from having to move heavy objects by hand and spend hours scanning them for possible defects. Instead, they can devote themselves to other tasks. The solution consists of an inspection cell with integrated cameras and an AI-supported image recognition system in which production parts are inspected automatically and highly efficiently. “The solution is already being used successfully,” says Martin Koch, Team Leader for Large Accounts at Bechtle Systemhaus Bremen. “It is suitable for almost all manufacturing companies and is fully scalable.”

Methodology for AI solutions.

Successful projects usually start with a good idea. The AI experts at Bechtle are well aware of this, which is why their projects usually start with an ideas workshop. “This is where we discuss the customer's goals and analyze in which areas of their company AI can bring concrete added value,” explains Martin Koch. The aim is not to introduce new technologies just because they are making headlines, but to uncover real potential that will lead to greater competitiveness. “Using a step-by-step model of solution design and rapid prototyping, we then create ready-to-use AI solutions that take important aspects such as data management, legal management, platform engineering and IT security into account right from the start,” says Jannick Link, Head of Innovation in the Competence Center AI Solutions at Bechtle Bremen.

According to its own estimates, the AI solution has enabled the company to increase its turnover by around 20 percent.

Satisfied callers and saved surfaces.

This is how individual challenges in the SME sector can be solved. For a manufacturer of paints, coatings and hygiene products, for example, Bechtle and its partners developed a solution that relieves the burden on telephone support. Using an app or prompting field, support staff can forward customer queries to an AI, which then searches a database for technical information to find the right answers and provides them within a short time. This makes it much easier for end customers to receive telephone support, allowing the company to place its products on the market more successfully and also offer the developed framework as a service on the market. According to its own estimates, the customer was able to increase its turnover by around 20 percent as a result.

In another project, a building cleaning service provider faced a challenge. Some of its employees were using cleaning agents improperly, damaging sensitive surfaces and upsetting customers. The language barrier made things even more difficult, as many of the employees barely spoke German. Together with their partners, the Bechtle experts created an AI language assistant based on Azure OpenAI, which now provides information in five languages on cleaning agents, their incompatibility with various surfaces and special customer requests. This has enabled the company to achieve efficiency gains, reduce its error rate and, according to its own calculations, save almost 400,000 euros annually.

Meeting KI im Mittelstand Bild — From the initial idea to the ready-to-use solution: In dialog with customers, Bechtle identifies concrete added value through artificial intelligence.

AI shortens development time.

AI is also being used in research and development in SMEs. The Bremen-based specialists developed an AI-based system for a company in the chemical industry that understands chemical reactions and ecosystems in the product development process. In this specific case, for example, it can predict the compatibility of medicines in goats. “The AI system also takes external regulations and project-specific features into account and recognizes potential hurdles in the development process at an early stage,” says Jannick Link. With the help of AI, the customer was able to shorten its development times and is able to react more quickly to market requirements.

Yesterday a buzzword, today a competitive factor.

Inquiries for AI projects are increasing noticeably at Bechtle. “We are currently seeing AI transform from a buzzword into a real business tool that gives companies measurable competitive advantages,” says Torsten Welke. Bechtle not only supports its customers with the technical implementation, but also develops their entire business. “Our projects are accompanied by business consultants who understand the customer's business and make it more digital on request,” explains Martin Koch. The Bremen team is looking to the future with confidence in view of the positive experiences and diverse application possibilities of AI.

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