Digital Solutions for Smart Devices

From Hardware Manufacturer to Digital Solution Provider

A globally leading manufacturer of premium power tools faced the challenge of expanding its traditional hardware business with digital products. In 2018, an initial platform for connected devices was built that provided basic IoT capabilities. As requirements grew, it became clear that this monolithic solution was reaching its technological limits: new device classes were difficult and costly to integrate, the introduction of additional functions was delayed and innovations could not be implemented at the speed the market demanded.

Over many years of organic growth, the platform’s architecture stopped keeping pace with the digital product needs. As connected devices and IoT use cases expanded, limits around scalability and integration surfaced everywhere.

Benjamin MalikSolution Architect

Management had made the strategic decision to embed digital products as a permanent component of the offering. Customers were no longer to receive only high‑performance power tools, but also additional digital value: operational and usage data to optimise deployment, maintenance recommendations to extend service life and smart control functions.

Technical Debt and Pressure to Innovate

The existing platform increasingly became a bottleneck for innovation. Technical debt led to long development cycles; new business applications took months to deliver. There was also a lack of scalable data integration: operational and sensor data could not be leveraged sufficiently to develop digital products or new business models. Integration of external channels such as e‑commerce or marketing was also only possible to a limited extent.

The introduction of a unified technology stack for all development teams together with broader use of cloud technologies and standardised frameworks drove a reduction in operating costs.

Cornelius HöfigSolution Architect

This affected not only IT and architecture teams, but also product management, which was urgently pushing for new features, as well as end customers who expected innovative capabilities.

A Future-Proof Platform for Growth

Central goals of the project were the development of a scalable and future‑proof digital business platform and the rapid implementation of new product management requirements, even during ongoing modernisation. Success metrics included a clear reduction in development cycles, secure and efficient integration of new device types and a solid foundation for data‑driven business models.

Strategic priorities:

• Time‑to‑Market: new digital products and features should be available within a few weeks instead of several months.
• Cost Optimisation: operating costs should be reduced through cloud‑native technologies and modern operating models.
• Innovation: functions such as Track & Trace or Eco‑Mode should enable new customer experiences.
• Data‑Driven Products: IoT data should be made usable via Data Mesh principles to unlock new business opportunities.

Architecture, Consulting and Implementation Support

mmkdigital provided the team of IT architects, including the lead architect. In close collaboration with product management, IT and other business units, the team of IT architects developed a new target architecture that meets the requirements for scalability, security and flexibility.

The group of IT Architects began with a comprehensive analysis of the existing system landscape. Building on this, they developed a transformation roadmap that called for a greenfield approach: a complete rebuild of the platform based on the self‑contained systems architectural pattern. This made it possible to develop and operate new business applications independently of one another.

In parallel, mmkdigital supported the implementation teams, created detailed technical concepts following arc42 and the C4 model, and assisted with architecture reviews and coaching. Particular focus was placed on the secure integration of IoT devices, the introduction of a developer platform for app and web touchpoints, and the integration of analytics and tracking solutions.

More Efficient Development, New Digital Products, Satisfied Customers

The modular platform approach significantly accelerated the delivery of new digital products. New device types and features could be integrated flexibly while existing systems were modernised step by step. End customers now benefit from user‑friendly apps and web touchpoints that simplify the use and maintenance of their devices.

We standardised on a single platform and stack across all teams, not to constrain creativity but to amplify it. With shared tooling, libraries and observability, every service spoke the same language. Onboarding got faster, integration became predictable and quality increased with each release.

Marc KleinLead Solution Architect

For the company, the new platform not only delivered efficiency gains but also established the foundation for data‑driven business models. Operational and sensor data can now be used systematically to develop digital products such as predictive maintenance or completely new smart control functions. By consolidating onto a common, cloud-based platform and standardising the tech stack, mmkdigital lowered operating costs across all development teams.

Conclusion

The starting point for this transformation was a clear recognition of the core challenge: legacy technology was slowing development, hindering innovation and making it difficult to integrate new digital products. By decisively shifting to a modern, modular and cloud-native platform, our customer overcame these bottlenecks and established a flexible foundation for future growth.

This holistic approach combined technical excellence, robust platform engineering and close collaboration across business and IT. It ensured that digital products could be delivered faster and with greater impact. Ultimately, this case demonstrates that investing in a scalable, future-proof platform is not just about solving today’s problems, but about empowering the organisation to seize new opportunities and remain competitive in an ever-evolving digital business environment.

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