How SMEs, technology, and investors shape the future
Possehl Digital Expert Talk 2025: Achieving more together
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This article has been translated for your convenience using machine translation. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation. The official text is the German version of this content.
On September 25, 2025, this year’s Possehl Digital Expert Talk took place in Hamburg at HF Group. Under the slogan “From the Mittelstand. For the Mittelstand – Digital & Sustainable Innovation,” participants from industrial SMEs, digital companies, and the investment community came together to discuss a shared goal: how to secure the future viability of the industrial Mittelstand. This year’s focus: combining sustainability and digitalization as a shared competitive advantage.
Industry meets innovation: A look into sustainable tire production
Transformation becomes tangible in HF Group’s production. It was the perfect place to start the evening.
HF Group is one of the world’s leading companies in mechanical and plant engineering for the rubber, mixing, and plastics industries, with a strong focus on tire manufacturing. Its comprehensive product portfolio includes mixing room systems for precise rubber compounds as well as tire curing presses for high-quality tire production.
For the latter, HF has developed a new process called “e-Curing”. Instead of using steam generated by gas, e-Curing employs electrically heated nitrogen as the medium. As a result, the tire manufacturer’s Scope 1 & 2 CO₂ emissions per tire are reduced from nearly 10 kg to around 5 kg. The technology is patented and has been validated by several customers – a technological breakthrough and a clear example of how innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand.
Even during the initial presentation and later during the factory tour, it became evident that all Expert Talk participants shared the same ambition: not just to talk about the future, but to actively shape it.
Investors with purpose
Keynote by Fridtjof Detzner (Planet A Ventures)
Following the welcome by Possehl Digital and a brief introduction to HF Group, Fridtjof Detzner, co-founder of Planet A Ventures, delivered an inspiring keynote. He spoke about how science-based investments can help turn sustainable ideas into real industrial solutions, and how sustainability, digitalization, and capital are deeply interconnected.
“We need to deploy capital where innovation makes not only economic but also ecological sense”, Detzner emphasized.
Through Planet A, he supports start-ups operating at the intersection of science, business, and climate protection – a topic of great relevance for the industrial Mittelstand.
From the Mittelstand, for the Mittelstand
The evening also showcased how collaboration between tech and industry can succeed precisely at this intersection. Together, HF Group and OPTENDA – a Possehl Digital portfolio company specializing in energy and CO₂ management – developed a solution that integrates the electric curing process with data-driven energy management. This creates greater transparency around energy use and CO₂ savings.
This combination of mechanical engineering and digital technology exemplifies how industrial decarbonization can succeed and become measurable.Such partnerships prove that when SMEs, technology, and investors join forces, the result is greater than the sum of its parts. Together, they can truly drive change.
The spirit of the Expert Talk
Practical exchange at eye level
The evening’s atmosphere was particularly remarkable: between factory halls and aperitif glasses, engineers, investors, founders, and researchers engaged in lively discussions, sharing challenges, experiences, and ideas that connect.
The Expert Talk once again demonstrated how closely the future and practical experience are intertwined when people meet as equals. It’s not just about technology; it’s about trust, understanding, and a shared will to make a difference.