For the second time, around 120 experts from the wine industry met at the Weincampus Neustadt in the auditorium of the DLR Rheinpfalz to discuss the possibilities, limits, opportunities and risks of digitalization. Eleven companies from the wine industry and suppliers presented their digitalization strategies and visions in stand-up pitches. This provided an exciting insight into the present and future of viticulture 4.0.
Digitalization in the wine industry offers many opportunities for the future, but also risks. Is it worth investing in new technologies and is digitalization really a relief or an additional burden for businesses? Last year, the participants of the Digi-Wein-Forum already had a constructive exchange. This year too, the unique forum in Neustadt was used intensively, bringing together representatives from the wine industry and from the fields of mechanical engineering, software development, cloud technology, drone, probe and sensor manufacturers, as well as experts from research, marketing and important political representatives.
The discussions were divided into three sections:
1. Digitalization strategies from the perspective of the wine industry and supplier companies
A total of eleven companies from the wine industry and suppliers presented their views on the following three questions in stand-up pitches:
- What benefits do they see in digitalization for themselves and for the wine industry?
- What does their company's digitalization strategy look like?
- What do they expect from digitalization networks such as the Digi-Wein-Forum?
2. Presentation of the SmartWinery
"Today we are starting to rewrite the future of the wine industry". With these words, Prof. Dr. Dominik Durner from the Weincampus began the presentation of the innovation network for viticulture and wine. SmartWinery brings together innovation drivers from the wine industry, supplier companies and the university and stimulates technology transfer from and to the industry. In addition to lobbying for innovations in the entire wine industry, SmartWinery's tasks include initiating research and development topics, coordinating across projects and opening up new business areas.
3. Project ideas in the field of digitalization
Harvesting, transportation and processing of grapes, energy management aspects in external operations as well as in the cellar and internal information and document flows are extremely relevant for the success of all winegrowing businesses. In these and many other areas of wine production, careful planning must precede, and the processes require accurate management and control. Digital tools that support precisely this are to be developed and refined in order to secure the long-term competitiveness of the German wine industry.
The discussions focused on knowledge transfer and networking within the industry. Stefanie Nauel from the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture was able to provide important food for thought on this topic, providing information on the state's innovation and transfer strategy. She also promised the support of her ministry for the Smart Winery.
"Digitalization is democratization," said Kilian Moser from the start-up company Oculyze, which has developed a cell counter and works with cloud data systems, for example. Prof. Dominik Durner agreed with this thesis and emphasized that the wine industry can only remain strong through collaboration. "We need to network and work together on innovations. This is the only way that even small wineries can keep pace with digitalization." SmartWinery offers an ideal platform for this collaboration and a stable basis for the transfer of knowledge from research to practice.
At the end of the discussion, the participants agreed that open interfaces should be planned for all further development steps in order to connect the different systems with each other and thus enable simpler data exchange across the value chain. Too many media disruptions have so far made it difficult to use the data collected. Dr. Matthias Nachtmann, Leader Digital Farming BASF, also emphasized the need to strengthen the exchange of information across different Departments. Viticulture, for example, could benefit greatly from knowledge from other agricultural sectors. An axis for knowledge transfer must be created here.
Dominik Durner concludes: "The transfer of technology between developers and users is one of the major challenges of the future in our industry. SmartWinery is the nucleus of progress and offers the opportunity for cross-industry and cross-border exchange."
The annual Digi-Wine Forum was held as part of the "From Research to Practice" event, which was jointly organized by DLR Rheinpfalz, the Neustadt Wine Campus, the Rhineland-Palatinate South Farmers' and Winegrowers' Association and the Rhineland-Palatinate Chamber of Agriculture.
The Weincampus Neustadt is a scientific institution of the universities of Ludwigshafen, Bingen and Kaiserslautern, which, together with the Dienstleistungszentrum Ländlicher Raum (DLR) Rheinpfalz and over 500 training companies in Germany and abroad, runs the Bachelor's degree program "Viticulture and Oenology" and the Master's degree program "MBA Wine, Sustainability and Sales".
Professional contact:
Weincampus Neustadt
Breitenweg 71
67435 Neustadt an der Weinstraße
Tel.: +49 6321-671-468
Fax: +49 6321-671-514
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