German manufacturer Koenig & Bauer creates Koenig & Bauer Kyana, a subsidiary dedicated to the development and marketing of its software solutions. This reorganization is in line with the company's Exceeding Print strategy, which aims to expand the Group's activities beyond machine manufacturing.
Part of the Special & New Technologies segment, Koenig & Bauer Kyana is headed by Sandra Wagner, previously Vice President Digitalization. Kyana brings together existing digital offerings and will develop new services based on data, artificial intelligence and the cloud. The stated aim is to enhance the agility and support of customers in their digitalization processes.
Solutions "promising" integrated into the myKyana portal
All services can be accessed via myKyana, the manufacturer's centralized portal for press users. It already incorporates a number of digital tools, such as Kyana Assist, a chatbot for technical assistance, Kyana Data, a production data analysis module, and VisuEnergy X, dedicated to energy management.
The choice of an autonomous structure is also aimed at structuring specific functions such as customer support, onboarding or Customer Success Management.
"With Koenig & Bauer Kyana, we are in a position to bundle expertise in the digitalization field more effectively. Growth in this promising segment will thus be even better supported, while maintaining close links with the Group's strategy." explains Christian Steinmaßl, member of the Group Management Board.
Structuring digital as a business in its own right
With the creation of Kyana, Koenig & Bauer is adopting an approach that has become strategic in the printing and packaging industries: dissociating software development from machine activity to better meet the specific requirements of the digital age.
This spin-off enables us to adopt the logic specific to industrial software publishers: short development cycles, continuous updates, marketing in the form of services, organizational agility. Whereas the sale of equipment relies on heavy, one-off investments, digital offers impose an evolutionary model, often based on subscription or usage.
Kyana embodies this shift: as an autonomous entity, it can structure a data-, AI- and cloud-oriented offering, while developing an extended customer relationship via tools such as myKyana or Kyana Assist. This evolution is not just organizational: it reflects a redefinition of the automakerâ??s business model in the face of the rise of intelligent services.
