We met for the fourth time as part of the Technical Documentation Working Group on June 17, 2026, at the Port of Dortmund. The highlight of the morning was a tour of the production facilities at our member company, ABP Induction Systems GmbH.
The session began with a detailed discussion of the current state of affairs regarding technical documentation, during which specific issues were addressed. All participants have already worked with the maturity model and are facing various challenges.
Some members of the group were able to make good use of the maturity model, for example, to define appropriate key performance indicators.
The possibility of providing documentation digitally was also discussed. In this context, it can be helpful to attach a QR code directly to the product or equipment. It remains to be clarified how lifelong provision can be achieved.
A key challenge remains in the effective management of technology and knowledge, as well as in tailoring information to specific target groups.
With the new EU Machinery Regulation, which takes effect on January 20, 2027, certain new requirements must be implemented.
In the subsequent group work, we were able to examine two questions in greater detail: How can information for technical documentation be made available digitally, and what interfaces and opportunities exist for cross-departmental knowledge exchange?
Taking a concrete look beyond our own horizons led us to ABP’s production facilities. Induction furnaces have been built at the site in the Port of Dortmund for more than 100 years. ABP spun off from ABB’s foundry division in 2005 as ABP Induction Systems GmbH and, with its headquarters in Dortmund, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of equipment for inductive melting and heating.
Foundries, forges, and steel mills are among the customers that use induction furnaces to contactlessly heat or melt metals and scrap. ABP manufactures these furnaces as well as the inverters for power supply and provides service.
Divided into two smaller groups, we gained interesting insights into electrical and mechanical manufacturing and got a sense of the range of sizes—from small to very large—in which ABP builds and refurbishes induction furnaces.
Many thanks to Dr. Moritz Spichartz and Christian Lindecke from ABP for the impressive tour.
To wrap things up, we took a well-timed lunch break in the ABP cafeteria and decided that there will be a shorter online meeting in September 2026 and, tentatively, another in-person meeting in November 2026.
New faces are always welcome.
