German company Forcam brings best in class manufacturing expertise to Cincinnati

FORCAM, the technology and consulting company based in Friedrichshafen, Germany, has continued growing internationally and, more specifically, here in the United States, where its offices are located in downtown Cincinnati.
 
Founded in 2001 by former SAP managers (another massive German-based software company), FORCAM creates MES (Manufacturing Execution System) solutions for clients like Audi, BMW, Daimler, MTU Aero Engines and more. More practically speaking, the technology they develop helps create more transparent manufacturing plants, giving their clients more reliable data on performance measurement of their machines, maintenance needs and more.
 
Just over a decade after their inception, in the summer of 2012, FORCAM decided to establish a United States branch of the company in Cincinnati. As its business in the states grew more extensive, the company found it necessary make the move. CEO Franz Gruber’s partnership with Jay Lee, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Material Engineering at the University of Cincinnati, proved crucial in FORCAM’s decision for where to locate.
 
“Although we are new to the U.S., we are growing fast,” says Julia Brochheuser, Marketing Manager for FORCAM. “We have 21 employees here at the moment but plan to double that size locally within the next two years. We feel very comfortable in the Cincinnati area. It’s good to be a part of the continuous growth and recovery of the city.”
 
FORCAM’s Factory Framework solution is the worldwide leading MES system. The technology connects, collects and designates real-time data of various computer-controlled types of machines. The signals deliver comparable web-based operating state modes of machines and facilities for each production stage.
 
“Factory Framework is easily one of our most innovative solutions,” Brochheuser says. The technology was awarded with the Baden-Wuerttemberg Innovation Award of 2006. FORCAM’s first customer, the engine plant of Daimler AG, was chosen “Factory of the Year” in 2008 and 2009.
 
“To be exceptionally innovative, it takes exceptional people who are motivated to develop new ideas continuously," Brochheuser says. "We maintain a culture of openness, friendliness and a dynamic relationship with our employees.”

By Mike Sarason