GERMANY - Dieffenbacher has purchased a financial stake in APPbyYOU GmbH, the company that developed the MyMessenger ticket and messaging app, a key component of the MyDieffenbacher digital service platform introduced at last year’s Ligna in Hannover.
The cooperation between Dieffenbacher and APPbyYOU began in 2018 when the plant manufacturer was searching for a partner to develop an innovative ticket system. Dieffenbacher wanted a single tool that combined the core functions of a ticket system with complete supporting communications. The star-up APPbyYOU was selected due to its innovative approach, flexible and agile team and app building blocks.
The result of the cooperation is Dieffenbacher’s MyMessenger, a combination of ticket system and messaging application for smartphones, tablets and desktops. With the app service cases can be quickly processed and documented, with users communicating with each other in the same app. Pictures, videos and documents can be exchanged to facilitate documentation and understanding. An important advantage of the app is that users write in their native language while the app takes care of the translation.
The proof of concept for MyMessenger was completed at the beginning of 2019 and customer feedback to the app’s introduction at the Ligna in May was consistently positive. “By the end of the year, MyMessenger was already in daily use by eight customers in wood-based panel and composites plants, and interest is still growing,” said Peter Martin, who leads Dieffenbacher Customer Service globally.
APPbyYOU specializes in intelligent digitalization solutions for medium-sized businesses. Thomas Teufel and Willi Pasternak founded the company in May 2012 in Balgheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The mission of the company, which now has 12 employees, is to provide companies with a customizable messenger they can run in their own cloud. With the acquisition of shares, Dieffenbacher deepens its partnership with APPbyYOU. The two companies are currently developing additional smart solutions for the digital factory.
