New York, March 30, 2026. Smart Manufacturing has been a top priority for years—but for many manufacturers, results still fall short. At the Smart Factories Summit, industrial AI company findIQ is challenging the industry to rethink its approach—moving from technology-first initiatives to measurable operational outcomes.
As skilled technicians retire and machine complexity increases, manufacturers are facing a growing gap between available knowledge and operational demands. While investments in data, generic AI, and connectivity have increased, many organizations still struggle to resolve equipment issues quickly and consistently.
Who Is findIQ—and What Makes the Company Different?
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Herford, Germany, findIQ develops an Industrial AI solution designed specifically for maintenance and troubleshooting in complex environments.
Rather than relying on generic large language models, findIQ uses proprietary AI models—Industrial AI—capturing and structuring expert knowledge into precise, step-by-step workflows technicians can use in real time. The result: faster diagnostics, reduced downtime, and consistent maintenance quality—regardless of experience level.
Customers including Siemens, Phoenix Contact, and Elopak report up to 70% time savings and ROI in as little as 90 days.
Smart Manufacturing has been on every agenda for years. And yet implementation continues to fall short of its promises. Now, Industrial AI is adding another technology layer—before many companies have fully realized the first wave of smart factory transformation. At the Smart Factories Summit, findIQ CEO and Co-Founder Sina Volkmann invites attendees to challenge three fundamental assumptions:
- This is Not a Global Challenge
"The combination of technical depth – as we know it from German mechanical engineering—and the pragmatic implementation culture in the US can be a real gamechanger," says Volkmann. "The US has a strong pull effect: companies here are willing to try things and make decisions quickly. When you pair that with the industrial depth we bring, knots that have been stuck for a long time suddenly start to loosen."
- Technology First Doesn’t Work
"Many Smart Manufacturing conversations start with technology: machine data, sensors, connectivity. findIQ inverts this logic. "Smart Manufacturing is fundamentally about efficiency and productivity—not about which data you tap into first," explains Volkmann. "We invite manufacturers to zoom out of the pure machine-data mindset and ask: where is the biggest lever? Where is the greatest potential? In our experience, the answer is almost always: unplanned downtime and quality loss. Not caused by missing spare parts—but by workers who simply don’t have the knowledge they need at the critical moment."
- There’s No Proof in a Roadmap
At the Smart Factories Summit, findIQ will demonstrate how Smart Manufacturing initiatives can be translated into measurable operational results. Through a live demo, the company will show how expert knowledge, intelligent algorithms, and real-world workflows come together to reduce downtime and improve consistency in complex environments.
"We don’t talk about what might be possible. We show what already works day in, day out in real factories," says Volkmann.
Meet findIQ at the Smart Factories Summit
The findIQ team will be present throughout the Smart Factories Summit on March 31, 2026, at the Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport. findIQ CEO Sina Volkmann will be running live technology demonstrations at the booth. Attendees can join a demo session followed by Q&A with the findIQ team.
findIQ is open to editorial inquiries: whether an expert interview with Sina Volkmann, a case study from the findIQ customer network, or a contributed article on Industrial AI and Smart Manufacturing. Customers such as Siemens, Phoenix Contact, and HOLMER regularly share their implementation experiences – reach out and let’s talk.
Media Contact:
FINDIQ GmbH
Doris Bauer, Senior Marketing Manager
T.: +49 155 63233184, doris.bauer(at)findiq.com