The initial research project, from which COMAN was to emerge as an independent company, was initially dedicated to the efficient planning and commissioning of production facilities. The focus was on the needs of the companies participating in the project at the time – thyssenkrupp Systems Engineering, VW and Daimler – and was further developed in numerous follow-up projects. The aim of the work was to realize potential savings for OEMs and suppliers and to optimize the ramp-up phase of systems. Thanks to inpro’s unique innovation ecosystem, which integrates industrial users, research and commercialization partners, the project team was able to learn from real plant construction projects right from the start and identify specific fields of action through intensive discussions with users.

Once the enormous potential of improved digital project management in large-scale industry had been validated, the work assignment was extended in consultation with the companies participating in the project to include the intelligent merging of the real and digital factory – the field of action: digital twin. This was followed by an initial prototype and a development phase in which the software was made suitable for series production together with users. The next step was to ensure reliable regular operation of the digital project management solution, which initially led to business for inpro and ultimately to the founding of COMAN in 2018.

Even after the spin-off of COMAN, the many years of joint work with inpro continued. inpro remains on board with COMAN as a strategic investor and sparring partner for innovation. The innovation ecosystem orchestrated by inpro remains an important driver for the start-up, while inpro receives market insights from COMAN and can identify new fields of innovation.