Kira Wenzel: Let’s get digital

Kira Wenzel, Körber site: Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany

I joined Körber in 2008. 
Through a dual study program in mechanical engineering. 
Classic. Technical.  

I helped develop high-performing machines. 
The PROTOS M5e, for example – one of the leading solutions Körber stands for.  

For a long time, my focus was clearly on the technical side: 
What does the customer need? 
How do we make the machine better?  

At some point, I realized: 
If our machines are to become better and more digital, 
something else has to change first. 

Not just in the market. 
But above all, among those who develop them. 
It starts with me. 

In 2018, our team initiated a project aimed at investing in the future. 
An investment that wouldn’t pay off immediately.  

Moving away from classic 2D drawings. 
Toward fully digital, end-to-end 3D models.  

It was – and still is – the right path. 
A foundation for our journey toward Industry 5.0.  

Made up of many small steps. 
Discussions. 
Questions. 
And resistance, too. 

Because change doesn’t just affect systems. 
It changes roles. 
Ways of working. 
Sometimes entire professions. 

What matters to us is this: 
Not simply introducing something new. 
But understanding why we are doing it — and what we are doing it for.

Who needs which data from the model? 
How is that data processed further? 
And how does it ultimately help make our machines and processes future-ready? 

To me, digitalization doesn’t mean: everything new. 
It means transforming what already exists.  

I took on responsibility early. 
Not because I knew everything. 
But because I was willing to learn. 

And because I experienced that at Körber, 
questioning things is allowed. 

Not everyone celebrates fundamental change. 
But many are willing to embrace it 
when they feel involved and understood. 

Today, I know the decision was right. 

Not because it was immediately measurable. 
But because it creates long-term impact.