ANDERNACH, 14 July 2025: The gates of the Sayn industrial heritage site opened for two days packed with innovation, encounters and industry dialogue.
ANDERNACH, 14 July 2025: The gates of the Sayn industrial heritage site opened for two days packed with innovation, encounters and industry dialogue. More than 200 guests accepted SHD's invitation and, on 8 and 9 July 2025, experienced an SHD Forum that connected current digitalisation trends with concrete solutions for the furniture and kitchen industry.
Under the motto “Discover. Innovate. Network.”, the industrial monument became a stage for technological future topics, where leading minds, partner companies and SHD experts shared their insights: from AI applications in sales and marketing to cybersecurity and the presentation of new SHD products.
For SHD CEO Dietmar Meding, one thing is clear: “Over the next five years, our industry will change more than in the past fifty years combined. The rules of the game are changing, and we must be ready to think in new dimensions.”
The concept he coined, the momentum of the next 1,000 days, describes the period in which technological decisions take effect: “1,000 days is the time horizon in which technology projects become reality, in which strategic decisions make their impact, in which customer relationships are newly formed or lost. It is the critical phase in which new ideas must no longer just be discussed but implemented. And today we are laying the foundation for what our industry will look like tomorrow.”
With a broad programme of keynotes, product presentations, panel talks and an extensive exhibition, the SHD Forum bridged the gap between technological progress and tangible added value for manufacturers, retailers and service providers in the industry.
A special highlight of the programme was the joint talk by Dietmar Meding (CEO) and Ryan Bryers (CTO), in which they presented the SHD Group's product strategy: from current developments to short- and medium-term goals and strategic visions. One thing became clear: SHD is positioning itself as the leading end-to-end technology partner for the industry, with seamless, modular and future-proof solutions.
As a major product launch, SHD presented “SHD Connect” for the first time: a modern, cloud-ready ERP solution tailored specifically to the needs of small and medium-sized kitchen and furniture retailers. “More efficiency with less complexity” was the promise that Michael Christmann explained in his main stage presentation, accompanied by a preview of the product.
Other key topics on the agenda included:
- The keynote by Prof. Dr. Christian Stummeyer on “The Customer of the Future: AI for Marketing and Sales in Kitchen and Furniture Retail”
- The cybersecurity double feature with Oliver Schneider (Riskworkers) on real-world crisis management in cyber extortion cases and white-hat hacker Immanuel Baer (Prosec) with live insights into the mindset of an attacker
- The presentation “Digital Closeness to the Customer” by hey.kitchen Managing Director Christian Lenzhoelzer on new standards in after-sales service
- The keynote by Dennis Oudjin (Valk Solutions) on self-checkout systems in retail, featuring numerous best practice examples
On the demo stage and in the adjoining exhibition, SHD companies and partners presented themselves with 23 stands and numerous specialist sessions. Topics ranged from e-commerce strategies and modern workforce planning to self-checkout and ESL technologies. The demo area was not just a showroom but a space for dialogue, product deep dives and concrete use cases.
Highlight topics from the SHD Group (selection):
- SHD Connect: the new cloud ERP solution for medium-sized kitchen and furniture retailers
- KPS.MAX Suite: the intelligent kitchen planning architecture
- hey.kitchen: digital after-sales services and a new end-customer app
- SHD ECORO e-commerce: holistic online strategies with impact in brick-and-mortar retail
- SHD perfacto & perforce: digitalisation of finance and HR processes
- SHD Technologie & Service: IT operations, security and hosting from a single source
The SHD Forum 2025 was more than an industry event: it was a place for encounters, dialogue and planning for the future. CTO Ryan Bryers summed it up: “This was my first SHD Forum, and I am impressed by the energy and the drive to shape things in our industry. The conversations with customers, partners and colleagues showed me once again how important it is not just to develop technology but to make it tangible together. That is exactly what we achieved here: we did not just present the future, we started it together.”
Newsletter: product news, event dates and practical tips from SHD.
Subscribe to newsletterTalk to our industry experts and learn how SHD can move your business forward.