FACE TO FACE
AI is viewed as an enhancer by SPI.
Image: Shutterstock. com. technology to a wider audience at Blechexpo 2025 in Stuttgart this October.
ISMR: Are there any other products / technologies / services that you have released, or are releasing this year, that you would like to highlight? responsiveness and customer focus that larger organisations find difficult to match. Our team is empowered to make quick decisions and adapt our solutions to meet the specific needs of our customers. For example, the variables in our calculation software are so comprehensive that each customer can map their own approach, which is much harder to achieve with strictly standardised enterprise solutions.
ISMR: What, in your view, are important market trends and challenges? How are you responding to these?
JR: We’ re seeing several critical trends reshaping the sheet metal industry. The skilled labour shortage is perhaps one of the most pressing challenges. Experienced operators are retiring, taking decades of manufacturing knowledge with them, while new hires lack the intuitive understanding of sheet metal processes. Additionally, rising energy and material costs are forcing manufacturers to optimise every aspect of their operations. There’ s no room for waste or inefficiency anymore. Customers increasingly demand personalised products with quick turnaround times for prototyping and small-batch production.
We’ re responding to these challenges with targeted solutions. The specialised sheet metal functions and automated calculations in our software simplify the CAD-to-CAM process. All design staff work with the same parameters which take material, tool and machine data into account from the outset. This means that production-ready files can be created, even without in-depth expertise. Regarding cost pressures, our calculation software enables precise material optimisation
We see AI as an enhancer, not a substitute for specialist knowledge and waste reduction, with variables comprehensive enough that each customer can map their individual manufacturing approaches and explore alternatives.
ISMR: You will introduce your new Unfold Engine, which fully automates the unfolding of sheet metal parts and assemblies, at Blechexpo 2025( 21-24 October 2025 in Stuttgart, Germany). Please outline the main features and benefits of this system.
JR: The SPI Unfold Engine transforms how sheet metal fabricators approach the unfolding process. The workflow is straightforward: the design department saves its finished CAD files in a designated folder. The moment a new file appears, the Unfold Engine automatically processes it according to the predefined settings and delivers the output files directly to a folder accessible by the manufacturing department. By automating the data transfer, we ensure seamless transmission of all production-relevant information from design to manufacturing. This eliminates time-consuming manual processes and reduces potential sources of errors.
Technically, the Unfold Engine delivers comprehensive output capability. Beyond creating flat patterns in GEO, DXF and XML file formats, it can also automatically generate detailed three-view dimensioned drawings as well as accurate cost calculations. While the Unfold Engine has a wide range of applications across the industry, it is particularly valuable for sheet metal contract manufacturers and companies that operate in on-demand sheet metal parts marketplaces.
We have already successfully implemented the Unfold Engine for our first customers, and we’ re looking forward to presenting this
JR: I mentioned our SheetMetal Calculator earlier, so let me elaborate on what makes this solution so valuable. The Calculator offers rule-based, real-time cost calculation that is fully integrated into the CAD environment. It provides an exceptional level of detail and accuracy. What sets it apart is its configurability; the calculation parameters and rule sets can be freely configured to map each company’ s specific process chain. Thanks to direct data transfer to ERP systems, this information can additionally be used for production planning, machine utilisation, materials management, logistics and much more.
We’ re particularly excited about the forthcoming version that will handle cost calculations for assemblies with over 1,500 parts. This capability addresses the needs of our largest customers working with highly complex products.
ISMR: How do you view the rise of artificial intelligence( AI) for manufacturing in general? How are you using AI in your business?
JR: AI certainly has tremendous potential in our core business areas: sheet metal unfolding, work preparation optimisation and manufacturing process improvements. However, these are complex technical challenges that require careful development and extensive testing. We’ re actively exploring these opportunities, but implementing AI in manufacturing-critical applications will take time to get right.
What we can already leverage effectively is AI’ s ability to improve customer communication and support our international customers. Language barriers that previously limited our marketing, sales and support capabilities are dissolving. For us as a Northern German company, this creates significant potential to reach international markets and to scale our expertise much more effectively than before.
All in all, I believe that the key is implementing AI tools thoughtfully— using them to amplify our team’ s capabilities rather than replace manufacturing expertise. We see AI as an enhancer, not a substitute for specialist knowledge.
ISMR: How do you embed sustainability into your products, internal systems and operations?
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