75%
Faster system integration
12 weeks -> 3 weeks
How a DAX-40 industrial group with 45,000 employees transformed its fragmented API landscape in 6 months — from OT/IT silos to a unified platform.
Starting Point
An OT/IT landscape grown over decades with isolated interfaces, high support costs, and compliance risks.
When the new CTO took over in 2024, he found an API landscape that had grown organically over 20 years. Each plant operated its own MES, SCADA, and ERP interfaces.
The result: over 300 APIs existed, but only 37% were documented. New integration projects routinely started from scratch.
We had 14 plants, each with its own APIs, its own docs, its own access processes. When an OT engineer left, we didn't just lose a person — we lost the knowledge behind dozens of interfaces. - CTO / Head of Industrial IoT
// The Challenge
Knowledge silos, ticket floods, and missing auditability had stalled any scaling effort.
Interface knowledge lived with individuals. When experienced OT engineers left, critical integration details were lost.
Avg. 12 APIs undocumented per departure
The IT service desk was overwhelmed with API access and documentation requests. A large share was Self-Service-eligible.
60% Self-Service-eligible
Without a central audit trail, IEC and TISAX audits required lengthy manual preparation.
6 weeks audit preparation
Implementation
Structured rollout in four phases — from pilot plant to scale.
Solution Approach
The API Portal was introduced as a strategic OT/IT platform — not an isolated documentation tool.
Unified documentation, Try-it-Out, and fast discoverability for all API stakeholders.
Security levels, RBAC, and audit trail for regulatory traceability.
CI/CD synchronization, versioning, and breaking-change checks reduce operational risk.
Results
Verified by internal controlling and confirmed in audit.
Voices from the Project
Perspectives from strategy, operations, and partner integration.
The portal has significantly accelerated our OT/IT convergence. The team now works on innovation instead of searching for documentation.
New OT engineers find relevant APIs in minutes today. Security levels and versions are transparently traceable.
As a supplier, we completed our first test integration in just a few days — that used to take weeks.
Technology Stack
Key Learnings
The most important lessons for organizations with complex API landscapes.
A pilot plant generated measurable value early and eased the company-wide rollout.
Domain teams were not just informed but actively integrated into structure and processes.
Auditability was baked directly into governance and lifecycle instead of being bolted on later.
The biggest ROI came from fewer follow-up questions and faster integration paths.
In a personal demo, we'll show how your organization can achieve comparable results.