10th International ECLASS Congress
Cologne | September 24, 2025
Meet the experts and share experiences
Celebrate 25 Years of ECLASS at the 10th International ECLASS Congress in Cologne!
Join us in Cologne as we mark a major milestone — 25 years of ECLASS — with the 10th International ECLASS Congress! This premier event brings together experts, innovators, and practitioners in master data management and digital standards.
What to Expect:
- A diverse and engaging program featuring real-world use cases and best practices.
- A special focus on the Digital Product Passport (DPP) — a groundbreaking concept that consolidates key product information (e.g. manufacturer details, repair options, disposal guidelines) and makes it accessible throughout the product lifecycle.
"The conference is one of the top events in the field of Digital Twin, Smart Manufacturing and Digitalization."
Who Should Attend: The congress is tailored for professionals and decision-makers from:
- Procurement
- Development & Planning
- Production & Operations
- Logistics & Automation
- IT & Digitalization
Over 250 international participants will gather to explore open standards, connect with industry leaders, and discover the latest innovations in Industry 4.0.
Hybrid & International: The ECLASS Congress is a hybrid event held in English — welcoming participants from around the world. Whether you join us in Cologne or online via livestream, you’ll be part of the celebration.
Agenda
This year’s congress will feature 10 high-impact lectures and breakout sessions, delivered by top-tier speakers from industry, trade, and academia. Whether you're a newcomer or an expert in the field, the agenda offers something for everyone!
25 Voices, 25 Stories, 25 Videos
We’re excited to launch the countdown to our 25th anniversary with a special video series: 25 inspiring messages from key voices in the ECLASS community. Each week, we’ll release a new video featuring personal reflections, emotional stories, and visionary greetings from stakeholders who have shaped ECLASS over the past quarter-century.
Get inspired by the passion and commitment of our community and stay tuned for new videos every week leading up to our anniversary celebration!
Speakers
Head of Product Information Intelligence
Pepperl+Fuchs Group
Engineer Artur Bondza studied technical editing at the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, with a concentration on mechatronics.
He has worked since 2004 at Pepperl+Fuchs, focusing on streamlining and digitalizing content- and data-management processes. He has been a member of the ECLASS Operating Arm committee since 2014, and in 2017, founded the DEG, which he continues to serve as spokesperson. True to the creed "No digitalization without standardization". Bondza is also active with the ZVEI, DIN and the DKE, with the goal of realizing the vision of Industry 4.0 and the internet of things (IoT) through comprehensive standards.
Founder & Managing Director
Integrated Worlds GmbH
Klaus Bröhl has been supporting medium-sized companies in their digital transformation for more than 40 years. He is the founder and CEO of Integrated Worlds GmbH, a service provider that supports hundred of projects along the entire value chain and operates e-business service platforms for companies across Europe. With more than 1,000 connectes companies, the B2B platform IWOfurn is an important SaaS service provider for the European furniture industry. As a co-initiator of Furniture-X, he and Integrated Worlds GmbH are involved in the development of a sovereign and technically open data ecosystem for the provision and integrated use of digital twins and, in the future, the DPP. Always on the lookout for innovative concepts and with a practical eye for the needs and expectations of his customers, he and his team combine technology and process know-how to create holistic concepts. For more than thirty years, he has always been committed to the standardization of B2B communication along the value chain. In addition, he develops digital business models with Integrated Worlds Gmbh through the use of business intelligence and the future use of artificial intelligence as well as on the digital aspects of a circular economy. In addition to all technology, he always relies on a healthy mix with the company's understanding of roles and strengths in their traditional core business.
Managing Director
D&TS GmbH
Mr. Paulo Ferreira is an experienced mechanical engineer who graduated in Wuppertal. After five years in the field of construction, he discovered his interest in data management and has been working in the field of classification and master data management for over 24 years. As the CEO of D&TS GmbH, Mr. Ferreira significantly contributes to the strategic alignment of the company, particularly in the areas of partnerships and digital AI-based technologies.
D&TS provides data services and software solutions to assist companies in professionally optimizing, classifying, and maintaining their product and material master data. The implementation of these innovative solutions results in a significant increase in automation and data quality. D&TS's ClassCOCKPIT solutions enable various output and exchange formats and seamlessly integrate with leading systems such as SAP, EPLAN, and others.
General Manager ECLASS Head Office
IW Consult GmbH
Thorsten Kroke studied business informatics at the University of Cologne. He worked for three years in a business consultancy for clients in facility management, optimizing processes and providing them with IT support. He then moved to REWE Group's headquarters in Cologne, where he worked ofr a total of seven years, at last as head of the Master Data Management department with the aim of regulating the governance of master data.
Since 2016, he has headed the "Standards" department at the IW Consult subsidiary of the Institute of German Business. His main tasks are to support industrial companies with standardized data for processes in digitalization. At the same time. he serves as General Manager of ECLASS e.V., which is developing a global industry standard for product description.
As of 2021, he is also managing director of the newly founded subsidiary BCON² GmbH, which focuses on consulting activities around ECLASS.
CEO
Paradine GmbH
Reinhard Pohn is co-founder and managing director of Paradine GmbH, Vienna. He is mechanical engineer and business economist specialized in marketing. Throughout his career, he has supported many companies globally in successfully implementing consistent material master data management throughout the entire organization.
Paradine is a leading European company offering specialized consulting, master data services as well as eptos™ MDM solutions to establish a single source of truth for material master data across the company.
Paradine offers classification and consolidation of multilingual material master data based on ECLASS as well as other standards. Consolidated master data is provided for all relevant enterprise applications (ERP, PLM, CAx, SRM, eCatalogs, etc.). Data redundancies and duplicates are identified, eliminated and avoided in the future.
Paradine is certified ECLASS Preferred Partner in highest level PLATINUM and ECLASS office for Austria, South, and Eastern Europe.
Founder & Coach
Gabi Schenkel Coaching
Gabi Schenkel studied osteopathy in Lausanne, going on to work for several years as a licenced osteopath in her own Zurich practice. In addition to her medical background, she developed a keen interest in mental and emotional resilience, energy work and personal growth.
In 2020, she gained international recognition as the first Swiss woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, completing the 3,000-mile journey in 75 days. This extreme physical and mental challenge continues to influence her coaching and public speaking approach.
Shw now works as a coach, speaker and mental trainer, helping individuals and organisations to activate their inner strength, navigate transformation and find clarity and purpose in their personal and professional lives.
CEO
Class.Ing
Frank Scherenschlich studied electrical engineering in Paderborn and Canada. After a few years as a senior manager in the ECOMMERCE and PIM area, start of self-employement as an engineering office, the foundation of Class.Ing. Responsible for the area sales, data management and project planning. Driver for the implementation of future topics.
Intensive collaboration on various topics of standardization and digitization, including committee work. Diverse activities in the ECLASS environment of content work, technology and process optimization.
Class.Ing is an SME in the field of extensive, but also specific consulting, software and data services from a single source. The in-house software Class.Room relies on the use of classifications and offers functions for mapping to other standards as well as version conversion. Interfaces to SAP and other PIM systems are available.
Registration
No matter whether you want to participate on site or follow the live stream. In both cases, registration is mandatory.
How to find us
This year's ECLASS Congress will take place at the German Economic Institute (IW) which is located in the center of Cologne, just a few minutes' walk from Cologne Central Station.
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