3. Written by Tom Wadlow
Produced by Josef Smith
MANN+HUMMEL has recently opened its IoT lab
in Singapore, a hub for digital innovation that will
boost technological expertise and cement the
company’s position as global leader in filtration
4. I
ndustry 4.0 and the Internet of
Things (IoT) is everywhere. The
digital economy is impacting
upon almost every individual and
business’s lives, from smartphone-
controlled central heating to M2M
communication on production lines.
In the filtration industry, MANN-
HUMMEL is leading the way
in digitisation, innovation and
embracement
of IoT. Already
the leading
filter producer
and supplier
in the world,
the company
manufactures
more than 700 million filter elements
each year – elements with the
potential to become smart.
Its 20,000-strong workforce
across more than 70 locations
worldwide help to produce and
sell about €4 billion-worth of
filter products each year, helping
automotive and mechanical
engineering industries become
cleaner, more efficient and,
in the future, smarter.
The group’s product portfolio
includes air filter systems, intake
manifold systems, liquid filter
systems, and technical plastic parts,
as well as filter elements for vehicle
servicing and repair. For mechanical
engineering, process engineering
and other industrial applications,
the company’s product range
encompasses
industrial filters,
membrane
filters for water
filtration and
filter systems.
In the last
years, due the
growing concern associated with
reductions in air quality, the group
is developing an extensive range
of air filters for various applications
like cabin filters, air purifier filters,
and filters for HVAC system. With
such solutions, buildings and
transportation systems are able
to provide the right air quality to
their occupants and so at the
lowest energy cost. This is also
4
“In two years’ time I want all
parts of the organisation to be
on a digital roadmap or path”
– Nicolas Payen, MANN+HUMMEL
Group’s Director of IoT Lab
6. an opportunity for the group to
help build a healthier society.
Determined to maintain its position
as worldwide filtration leader,
MANN+HUMMEL is moving fast.
With the acquisition of the Affinia
Group earlier this year around 4,500
employees, some 10 locations and
approximately €900 million in sales
had joined MANN+HUMMEL. But
it is the addition of expertise, in
the form of a dedicated IoT lab in
Singapore, which will continue to set
the company apart in years to come.
A unique challenge
Nicolas Payen is MANN+HUMMEL
Group’s Director of IoT Lab. Having
spent several years at Schneider
Electric working on innovation
projects, Payen moved to Singapore
last year and has overseen the
development of MANN+HUMMEL’s
Centre of Excellence for IoT.
A global pioneer in smart cities,
Singapore has a thriving smart
technology hub and has been
base of Asia operations for the
company for more than four years.
“I have been here a year but there
7. is certainly much more I could learn
about the place,” Payen muses.
“I joined MANN+HUMMEL at the
end of March as this presented a
unique entrepreneurial challenge
for me, something that had to be
created completely from scratch.
“There are a lot of challenges but
with that come a lot of potential
rewards. This is a great opportunity
for me to make a real difference
and apply the knowledge I have
picked up through my career.
The team is in place and the
lights are on, but it is too early to
“We need to create
a network of
people from inside
to company who
understand how the
lab can drive forward
their own parts of
the business”
– Nicolas Payen, MANN+HUMMEL
Group’s Director of IoT Lab
w w w. m a n n - h u m m e l . c o m 7
E N E R G Y D I G I TA L
9. suggest the job is done and that
the rewards are there just yet.
“The economy and industry of
today are embracing technology
at a rapid pace, and we have to be
ready to bring technology into our
industry where it makes sense to do
so. How do we use electronics and
software and blend it with our
current knowledge on
filtration, knowledge
which spreads right
around the world?
That is the question
we are always
asking ourselves.”
The lab officially
opened on July 11 in
the Fusionopolis Tower
in One North, the heart of
Singapore’s burgeoning start-up
community. It marks an era where
digital innovation very much sits
alongside MANN+HUMMEL’s
foundational set of values by which it
operates, known as FILTER (Focus,
Integrity, Leadership, Teamwork,
Excellence and Respect).
With the FILTER values
already entrenched across
the multinational, multifaceted
business, it is Payen’s job to
communicate the digital innovation
ethos that will be harnessed
by the Singapore lab, bringing
together all parts of the business
to embark on an IoT journey.
“One of the main challenges I
have been working on is
communicating what
we are doing in the
lab with the many
business units in
MANN+HUMMEL,”
he explains. “We need
to create a network of
people from inside to
company who understand
how the lab can drive forward
their own parts of the business.
We have a very strong support
base in the form of our top
management in the company
– our Group Vice President
Technology,our CEO, and the
chairman of the supervisory board
are right behind us and helping the
project to create momentum. The
E N E R G Y D I G I TA L
w w w. m a n n - h u m m e l . c o m 9
Number of employees
at MANN-HUMMEL
20,000
10. main priority for us is to understand
the needs of our business units,
which we treat almost as our own
customers, and then to understand
what their customers need.
However, we don’t lose sight of
the fact that there is a balance to
be struck in terms of executing our
own IoT vision, while at the same
time being pragmatic and designing
what our customer wants.”
Next level
Payen already has 30 projects in
the pipeline, with 10 being actively
worked on by the lab team, currently
made up of five to 10 locally-
recruited technology experts.
The lab’s work in digitisation will
impact the business and filtration
industry in three major ways: how
filters are made; how filters are
sold and how filters are used by
customers and consumers. “IoT
encompasses a very broad range
of possibilities, and this means we
must be flexible with the work done
in the lab,” Payen adds. “This will
of course depend on the customer,
11. what their demands are and how
we can enhance their value chain.”
One area of focus for the
MANN+HUMMEL lab at the moment
revolves around maintenance and
filter replacement. Information
and data farmed through IoT and
displayed to customers through
connected devices will be able to
inform users when filters are likely to
need replacing. Payen also revealed
that the lab team is looking at smart
solutions for the air filtration sector,
where the company provides
products for automotive and
construction partners. In time the lab
will become a showcasing facility for
MANN+HUMMEL, demonstrating
to existing and potential clients
what the firm has to offer away from
conventional filters and parts.
As the team expands, it will
the base of expertise from which
MANN+HUMMEL can draw
upon. The company already has
partnerships with universities in
South East Asia, Germany and the
USA, and will be interacting much
more with disruptive start-ups and
w w w. m a n n - h u m m e l . c o m 1 1
E N E R G Y
French national, Nicolas Payen has 15
years of experience in both engineering
and marketing/commercial leadership
roles. He started his career in the IT
services industry as software engineer.
His IoT journey started in 2008 as the
co-founder of a corporate start-up for
Schneider-Electric to develop a Smart
Homes / Smart Grid solution. In 2013, he
moved to Hong-Kong to head the Smart
Space Category for Asia Pacific. In March
2016, he joined MANN+HUMMEL to
support its digital transformation and lead
its IoT initiative. He has a deep interest
in social and technology innovation.
He lived in France, Netherlands,
Sweden, Hong-Kong, and Singapore.
Nicolas Payen
Director of IoT Lab
12. “The economy and industry of today is embracing
technology at a rapid pace, and we have to be ready
to bring technology into our industry where it makes
sense to do so”
– Nicolas Payen, MANN+HUMMEL Group’s Director of IoT Lab
13. IoT specialists in the near future.
With 30 projects already on
the table, the temptation to press
full steam ahead must be there,
though Payen exercises sensible
caution at this early stage.
“We have an agreed plan
of direction with the Head of
Technology for the coming months,
and it is important to stay focused
and understand that the mission
of the lab will change over time.
Today, we do not have a dedicated
portfolio of digital products – over
time this will be developed and
there will be a need for a team to
manage this new portfolio. The lab
may have a role to play in this.
“It is important to stay focused
in the near future and not to grow
too fast – we must get it right to
maintain our leading position in the
industry. In two years’ time I want
all parts of the organisation to be
on a digital roadmap or path.”
