• Pool of experts from development and manufacturing companies of VMO
• Support of OEMs along the entire chain of value creation
• gds brings extensive expertise to the table in the area of technical documentation

Sassenberg/Enschede, March 23, 2021 – Combining competencies to foster innovation: gds GmbH, based in Sassenberg, Germany, is the first German company to become a member of the network TechNet Oost in the Netherlands. The pool of experts that grew out of the development and manufacturing companies of the industrial association VMO (Verenigde Maakindustrie Oost) aims to support original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) along the entire chain of value creation – from initial idea to design, development and prototyping, to serial production. gds GmbH is now sharing its competencies in the areas of technical documentation, risk assessment, CE marking and technical translation services with the network.

“Industrial manufacturing has been growing ever more complex for original equipment manufacturers in the context of digitalization and automation,” says Björn Ferencz, gds Consultant and a member of the TechNet team on the part of gds. The challenge: Many suppliers focus on only one building block in the chain of value creation and this is associated with a great expense for OEMs in terms of planning and coordination. “TechNet Oost is thus offering OEMs a unique, transnational network to meet these growing requirements with bundled expertise. All relevant competencies are combined in a pool of expertise under one umbrella.”

Planning, development and production – from a single source

The comprehensive range of services of TechNet Oost is predominantly geared towards OEMs, who would like to outsource the tasks to specialists – as needed, for the entire process, or in discrete areas only. The network supports the entire process of product conception and development, the supply of components and subassemblies, or modular design.

Jacques Stevens, the initiator of TechNet Oost and Managing Director of IDpartners says: “We are bundling the competencies for all relevant areas of the development and manufacturing process while offering expert knowledge in distinct specialist areas. This way, we can act together on a higher level than a full-range supplier.” “We are looking forward to working with gds as a valuable business partner in our pool of experts. Flawless technical documentation forms a basic but significant element of product marketing to ensure legal compliance, global viability and competitiveness on transnational markets.”

gds GmbH has been a part of VMO since 2015 and will offer its extensive expertise in the area of technical documentation within the pool.

“After all, a product should be visually appealing, safe and functional,” says Ferencz. “Ideally, we accompany the process from the very beginning, starting with the design and construction while incorporating all of the important aspects of the CE marking process in the initial product development phase.” The required technical documentation is then drafted parallel to the continuing development process. The range of services is rounded out by professional translation services provided in all of the relevant target languages when the product is delivered.

The TechNet methodology in four steps

Jacques Stevens, initiator of TechNet Oost and managing director of IDpartners

Björn Ferencz, gds consultant and part of the TechNet team on the gds side