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“We are looking ahead”

In future, Beuth Verlag will operate under the name DIN Media and is celebrating its 100th anniversary. As a service provider for the development, distribution and application of standards the publishing house focuses on multimedia solutions. Below is an interview with Managing Director Marion Winkenbach about challenges and smart products.

Mrs. Winkenbach, Beuth Verlag was founded in 1924 and is now one of the largest specialist publishers in Germany. What has contributed to this success story?

The way I see it, several factors. The publishing house has always had its finger on the pulse of the times and has used the technologies available at any given time. From classic printing in the early days to punched cards in the early 1970s and then computerized systems to the online database in 1996 when the Internet made its breakthrough. But those were just the technological factors. The publishing house not only provides content but also develops products that facilitate the understanding and, above all, the application of standards – from curated collections of standards for industries to further education and training formats and software such as standards management solutions. The overriding success factor has always been our aim to provide our customers from industry and society with the best possible support in all aspects of standardization. This is possible thanks to a great team with many committed and experienced employees.

Today, the publishing world is facing new challenges and needs to master the digital transformation. How are you approaching these challenges?

I firmly believe that you shouldn't take on the role of an observer and first see how others do it. Rather, the aim is to actively shape the digital transformation. First and foremost, this means understanding what our own customers need and expect from us for their digitalization issues. As a result, we are expanding our portfolio and combining our technical expertise with industry-specific customer requirements – for example with our modular standards management solution Nautos, which can be configured individually. We are also pushing new technologies such as SMART standards, i. e. machine-readable standards, to optimally meet the requirements of industry. The aim is to continue to be a reliable and proven partner for standards users through targeted application support. This is not a sure-fire success, as the market for procuring and managing standards is always on the move.

Publishers must also master the shortage of skilled workers. What approaches are you pursuing in this context?

Here our advantage is that we are part of the DIN Group. This enables us to distribute tasks efficiently. Where it makes sense, we rely on cross-departmental work and support each other for example in product development. Agile working is also possible with us – this is spatially supported by our new working environment. We are also testing new possibilities like AI tools. And we maintain partnerships and collaborations with other media companies, as well as national and international standards setters such as the VDI, DVS and DAfStb.

What are the reasons for now calling yourselves DIN Media on your 100th anniversary?

This renaming is part of a change, as we are positioning ourselves for the future. Beuth Verlag and DIN always belonged together but until now this was not apparent from the name. The 100th anniversary is exactly the right occasion to visibly express this bond. “DIN Media” stands for our common identity much better – and refines our profile to the outside world. This is also important in view of our increasingly international orientation.

What topics will define the coming years?

I have already mentioned artificial intelligence; this technology offers great potential. We will test the possibilities for AI tools to simplify processes in production and editing and to support our employees. AI can also play a role for us in the development of smart products. AI-supported technologies are fundamentally an important topic for the DIN Group and therefore also for us – on the one hand, standards and specifications are needed to ensure that AI systems work safely and reliably, while on the other hand, AI offers opportunities for internal process optimization. This is playing an increasingly important role in many areas of everyday life, from medicine to road traffic, the keyword here being "autonomous driving". And we help standards users to obtain the standards relevant quickly and easily to them.

How do you see the future status of the book trade?

We have been a reliable partner for the book trade for decades and will continue to be so in the future. But digital products and services will play an even more important role for all stakeholders in the future. We therefore value the cooperation and expertise of the specialist information trade even more especially when it comes to selling our online services.