Beyond Data Collection: Building Value Through Data Reuse

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Industrial companies are increasingly recognizing the value of data, yet many still struggle to move beyond simple data collection. While large amounts of machine and process data are available, they are often not effectively reused to generate tangible customer or business value. At the same time, customers expect more data-driven services that improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and support better decision-making. 

Goal 

The goal of this project is to develop a practical approach for Festo to reuse data and generate additional customer and business value. The focus is on enabling data access, identifying monetization opportunities, and building a foundation for long-term lifecycle insights. 

Methodology 

The project is grounded in a structured five-step methodology. Starting from secondary research and cross-industry benchmarking, twelve candidate use cases were developed and subsequently evaluated through a Weighted Scoring Matrix. A cluster analysis then shifted the perspective from individual case ranking to broader strategic opportunity fields. To validate these directions against real-world industry perspectives, semi-structured interviews with four stakeholders were conducted and analyzed through Thematic Analysis. The resulting insights were finally synthesized into a connected implementation pathway, designed to capture complementary value across the full use case portfolio. 

Results 

The results show that Festo can unlock value from data reuse through three connected steps: 

1. Unlock (Data Access): A data-enabled coverage upgrade creates a clear incentive for customers to share data and establishes the foundation for further use cases. 

 

1. Monetize (Recurring Value): A predictive spare parts subscription reduces downtime for customers while enabling recurring revenue streams for Festo. 

 

1. Extend (Lifecycle Intelligence): A digital component passport combined with remaining useful life insights supports better lifecycle decisions, such as reuse, redeployment, and condition-based replacement. 

 

Together, these steps create both short-term commercial impact and long-term strategic value by turning data access into a connected and scalable pathway for Festo. 

Cooperation Partner 

• ​​Festo SE & Co.KG - Linzer Straße 227, 1140 Vienna, Austria 

​ 

​​Contact Persons​ 

• ​​Jacob Decker - jacob.decker@festo.com 
  Christin Clauß - christin.clauss@festo.com ​ 

Student Team 

• ​​Antoni Jan Andreas Nieman 

• ​Benjamin Bela Pinter 

• ​Daniel Nhat Huy Do 

• ​Denis Kurtanovic 

• ​Konstantin Wiedemann 

• ​Moritz Joachim Wilfried Heidenreich​ 

Project Manager 

• ​​​Sandra Jeske, M.Sc.​ 

• ​​Theresa Nicolussi, M.Sc.​​