Standing at the intersection of tradition and technological revolution, the story of HARTING offers a revealing look at how AI-powered solutions are transforming decades-old industrial processes. For those immersed in the world of industrial connectors, the search for the perfect product among more than 27,000 options can be daunting. For everyone else—engineers, purchasing agents, technical teams under pressure to deliver quickly and accurately—it can feel nearly impossible.
In an age where digitalization is rapidly changing the landscape of manufacturing and industry, the complexity of choosing the right component is only increasing. With sprawling product portfolios, subtle differences between similar connectors, and application-specific requirements, errors and indecision are common. The traditional product selection process forces users to navigate dense catalogs, parse obscure technical jargon, and hope for the best.
For companies like HARTING, a leader renowned for its robust connectors used in everything from electric vehicle charging stations to modern datacenters, this complexity isn’t just a customer pain point—it’s a barrier to innovation and growth.
Despite decades of expertise, HARTING found itself at a crossroads: either persevere with the old ways of working or embrace a bold, digital future that would not just streamline, but redefine, how customers interact with its vast offering.
This simple truth is a powerful insight. Customers faced with urgent needs may not know the right terms, the correct specifications, or even how to articulate the challenges they face. As a consequence, projects stall, help desks fill up, and the overall customer experience is diminished.
For many years, the gap between what engineers needed and what manufacturers offered was filled with technical support lines, fiddly online configurators, or pages of datasheets. But in the expanding universe of smart factories, automation, and Industry 4.0, speed, clarity, and accuracy are no longer negotiable—they are essential.
Unlike conventional configurators that expect users to select from a maze of drop-down menus or input precise part numbers, HARTING’s AI solution invites users to speak in their own words. Here, natural language becomes the bridge, erasing the need for technical fluency.
A customer might input, “I need a connector for harsh environments that supports high power and quick-disconnect features,” and within seconds, the AI parses these needs, matches them to technical attributes, and presents a tailored solution.
Not only does this remove a significant source of friction, it empowers users—regardless of their background—to find the right product in about a minute. This kind of accessibility would have been unthinkable a decade ago.
In fast-paced sectors where time is money and confidence in component selection is critical, this visualization is more than a convenience—it’s a fundamental pillar of modern, customer-centric engineering.
Developed within HARTING’s Innovation Hub and tightly linked with powerhouse tools like Siemens’ NX and Simcenter (key elements within the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio), this system transforms the prototyping process.
Engineers can generate custom 3D prototypes in minutes, rather than weeks. The system refines 2D layouts, verifies designs, generates sophisticated 3D models, and can even run basic thermal FEM (finite element method) simulations—all almost instantly.
This fusion of AI with advanced engineering platforms is not trivial. It enables highly trained personnel to focus on novel, high-impact challenges by automating repetitive, error-prone work. The result: faster innovation cycles, fewer bottlenecks, and a material advantage in competitive, fast-moving markets.
This decision marks a subtle but important shift in modern enterprise IT strategy. By utilizing Microsoft’s domain knowledge and AI infrastructure, HARTING ensures it retains its proprietary connector expertise while benefiting from world-class AI capabilities. This approach minimizes risk, speeds time to value, and maintains a clear competitive edge.
This separation is more than technical—it’s philosophical. It acknowledges that true digital transformation isn’t always about proprietary algorithms or in-house frameworks, but about selecting and integrating the smartest, most robust tools available so innovation happens at the intersection of deep domain knowledge and global technology platforms.
This democratization doesn’t just save time or prevent errors; it opens up the industry to new players. Small design teams, startups, or customers in emerging markets can now confidently specify solutions that previously required direct support or extensive knowledge transfer.
In the broader context of manufacturing, this is transformative. Barriers to entry are lowered; buyers are more empowered; the ecosystem is primed for faster experimentation and more diverse innovation.
By contrast, HARTING’s AI-driven selection and configuration tools radically reduce the risk of human error. Specifications are automatically cross-checked against up-to-date databases; incompatible selections are flagged before they cause downstream issues; and the visual validation process prevents misunderstandings before they become expensive mistakes.
In sectors like automotive manufacturing, energy distribution, and data infrastructure—where HARTING connectors are mission-critical—this improvement is not merely convenient, it is essential.
For HARTING, this has redefined how quickly prototypes can move from concept to reality. Where custom connector design was once a bottleneck, it is now a fast, reliable, and repeatable process. This is not just an engineering win, but a business advantage, enabling rapid pivots in response to market shifts or novel customer demands.
Crucially, the use of Microsoft’s large language model ensures HARTING does not have to share proprietary data or expose sensitive intellectual property during model training. For industries wary of cloud adoption due to confidentiality concerns, this sets a valuable precedent and offers a template for secure, collaborative progress.
New features—such as real-time simulation, instant bill of materials generation, or integration with other supply chain systems—are now quicker to develop and deploy. The agility provided by this digital backbone ensures HARTING will remain responsive to evolving customer needs, technological advancements, and shifts in competitive dynamics.
The result is a company better positioned to attract top talent, retain expertise, and ensure long-term relevance in a landscape where the pace of change shows no sign of slowing.
The days of dense, inscrutable catalogs and untold hours of manual configuration are limited. Companies unable or unwilling to modernize will quickly find themselves behind, as customers gravitate to vendors who prioritize accessibility, intelligence, and ease of use.
Furthermore, as AI tools become central to product selection and customization, the importance of transparency, auditability, and human oversight grows. HARTING’s partnership approach—with human experts guiding AI solutions—offers a strong model, but continuous monitoring, testing, and improvement will be necessary to sustain reliability and trust.
The journey from manual selection to AI-enhanced design is not just about speeding up processes—it’s about opening the doors to innovation, reducing barriers to entry, and setting a new standard for what’s possible in industrial hardware. As cloud, AI, and digital configuration tools continue to reshape the landscape, HARTING’s experience offers invaluable lessons for enterprises across all sectors: digital transformation is not the preserve of software or IT companies alone. For those willing to rethink processes, embrace modern platforms, and focus relentlessly on customer value, the path to future relevance and leadership is wide open.
Source: www.microsoft.com HARTING reduces design time from weeks to minutes with Siemens and Azure AI | Microsoft Customer Stories
The Overwhelming World of Connector Choices
In an age where digitalization is rapidly changing the landscape of manufacturing and industry, the complexity of choosing the right component is only increasing. With sprawling product portfolios, subtle differences between similar connectors, and application-specific requirements, errors and indecision are common. The traditional product selection process forces users to navigate dense catalogs, parse obscure technical jargon, and hope for the best.For companies like HARTING, a leader renowned for its robust connectors used in everything from electric vehicle charging stations to modern datacenters, this complexity isn’t just a customer pain point—it’s a barrier to innovation and growth.
Despite decades of expertise, HARTING found itself at a crossroads: either persevere with the old ways of working or embrace a bold, digital future that would not just streamline, but redefine, how customers interact with its vast offering.
Listening to the Customer's Voice: The Knowledge Gap
Andreas Wedel, Director of Digital Transformation at HARTING Technology Group, summarized the situation succinctly: “Our customers are not connectivity experts. They don’t use connectivity every day, so they don’t have the vocabulary.”This simple truth is a powerful insight. Customers faced with urgent needs may not know the right terms, the correct specifications, or even how to articulate the challenges they face. As a consequence, projects stall, help desks fill up, and the overall customer experience is diminished.
For many years, the gap between what engineers needed and what manufacturers offered was filled with technical support lines, fiddly online configurators, or pages of datasheets. But in the expanding universe of smart factories, automation, and Industry 4.0, speed, clarity, and accuracy are no longer negotiable—they are essential.
Enter AI: Rethinking What’s Possible
The drive for a better solution led HARTING to harness AI in a way rarely seen in the physical hardware space. At the heart of this digital rebirth is the AI-guided Han® Configurator—a next-generation tool leveraging the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing.Unlike conventional configurators that expect users to select from a maze of drop-down menus or input precise part numbers, HARTING’s AI solution invites users to speak in their own words. Here, natural language becomes the bridge, erasing the need for technical fluency.
A customer might input, “I need a connector for harsh environments that supports high power and quick-disconnect features,” and within seconds, the AI parses these needs, matches them to technical attributes, and presents a tailored solution.
Not only does this remove a significant source of friction, it empowers users—regardless of their background—to find the right product in about a minute. This kind of accessibility would have been unthinkable a decade ago.
Visualization and Intuition: Building Trust
Advanced selection is only part of the story. The redesigned configurator doesn’t simply generate a part number or a dry list of compatible products. Users can now visualize their configuration in 3D, seeing exactly how the chosen product will look and fit within their design. This interactive experience offers both reassurance and inspiration, providing a sense of control over a highly technical decision.In fast-paced sectors where time is money and confidence in component selection is critical, this visualization is more than a convenience—it’s a fundamental pillar of modern, customer-centric engineering.
When Standard Isn’t Enough: Automating Customization
The AI backbone supporting customers isn’t limited to off-the-shelf products. When unique projects demand tailored solutions—like a connector that doesn’t yet exist—HARTING has built a companion AI tool for its engineering teams.Developed within HARTING’s Innovation Hub and tightly linked with powerhouse tools like Siemens’ NX and Simcenter (key elements within the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio), this system transforms the prototyping process.
Engineers can generate custom 3D prototypes in minutes, rather than weeks. The system refines 2D layouts, verifies designs, generates sophisticated 3D models, and can even run basic thermal FEM (finite element method) simulations—all almost instantly.
This fusion of AI with advanced engineering platforms is not trivial. It enables highly trained personnel to focus on novel, high-impact challenges by automating repetitive, error-prone work. The result: faster innovation cycles, fewer bottlenecks, and a material advantage in competitive, fast-moving markets.
The Strategic Choice: Leveraging, Not Replacing, Expertise
A critical highlight in HARTING’s journey is the conscious decision not to create their own large language models from scratch. Julia Froehlich, Director of the Innovation Hub, noted that Microsoft’s prebuilt AI offered the right fit without the draining overhead of developing and maintaining custom models.This decision marks a subtle but important shift in modern enterprise IT strategy. By utilizing Microsoft’s domain knowledge and AI infrastructure, HARTING ensures it retains its proprietary connector expertise while benefiting from world-class AI capabilities. This approach minimizes risk, speeds time to value, and maintains a clear competitive edge.
This separation is more than technical—it’s philosophical. It acknowledges that true digital transformation isn’t always about proprietary algorithms or in-house frameworks, but about selecting and integrating the smartest, most robust tools available so innovation happens at the intersection of deep domain knowledge and global technology platforms.
AI and the End-User: Democratizing Access to Expertise
Perhaps the most profound impact of HARTING’s new approach is the flattening of the expertise curve. Where deep product knowledge was once the exclusive domain of HARTING’s sales engineers or customer support teams, now it is accessible to anyone—instantly—no matter their technical skill.This democratization doesn’t just save time or prevent errors; it opens up the industry to new players. Small design teams, startups, or customers in emerging markets can now confidently specify solutions that previously required direct support or extensive knowledge transfer.
In the broader context of manufacturing, this is transformative. Barriers to entry are lowered; buyers are more empowered; the ecosystem is primed for faster experimentation and more diverse innovation.
Reducing the Risk of Errors and Accelerating Decision-Making
For manufacturers and customers alike, the cost of selecting the wrong connector can be enormous: delays, equipment failures, and exponentially mounting costs stemming from field fixes or recalls. Traditional processes, dependent on static catalogs or guesswork, introduce multiple failure points.By contrast, HARTING’s AI-driven selection and configuration tools radically reduce the risk of human error. Specifications are automatically cross-checked against up-to-date databases; incompatible selections are flagged before they cause downstream issues; and the visual validation process prevents misunderstandings before they become expensive mistakes.
In sectors like automotive manufacturing, energy distribution, and data infrastructure—where HARTING connectors are mission-critical—this improvement is not merely convenient, it is essential.
Automation and Interoperability: A New Standard for Modern Engineering
The ability of HARTING’s AI tools to integrate seamlessly with Siemens’ NX and Simcenter platforms represents a broader trend toward interoperability in digital manufacturing ecosystems. No technology, no matter how advanced, operates in a vacuum. Real value is unlocked when systems work together fluidly, exchanging data, refining models, and enabling faster iteration.For HARTING, this has redefined how quickly prototypes can move from concept to reality. Where custom connector design was once a bottleneck, it is now a fast, reliable, and repeatable process. This is not just an engineering win, but a business advantage, enabling rapid pivots in response to market shifts or novel customer demands.
Security, Confidentiality, and Digital Trust
Any discussion of cloud- and AI-driven manufacturing raises important questions of data privacy and IP protection. Here, HARTING’s approach—leveraging Microsoft’s enterprise-grade security infrastructure—offers robust safeguards while enabling AI-powered efficiency.Crucially, the use of Microsoft’s large language model ensures HARTING does not have to share proprietary data or expose sensitive intellectual property during model training. For industries wary of cloud adoption due to confidentiality concerns, this sets a valuable precedent and offers a template for secure, collaborative progress.
Looking Forward: AI as a Catalyst for Continuous Innovation
While the tangible improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction are already apparent, perhaps the most compelling aspect of HARTING’s transformation is its adaptability. Rather than tying innovation to fixed processes, the company has established a flexible, scalable foundation on which to build further enhancements.New features—such as real-time simulation, instant bill of materials generation, or integration with other supply chain systems—are now quicker to develop and deploy. The agility provided by this digital backbone ensures HARTING will remain responsive to evolving customer needs, technological advancements, and shifts in competitive dynamics.
The Human Element: Change Management and Skills Evolution
No digital leap succeeds on technology alone. HARTING’s transformation required not only new tools, but new mindsets within its workforce. Engineers have transitioned from routine design work to higher-level problem solving and creative ideation. Technical sales teams are now equipped to advise at a strategic level, bolstered by the confidence that the AI-backed platform will remove ambiguity and error.The result is a company better positioned to attract top talent, retain expertise, and ensure long-term relevance in a landscape where the pace of change shows no sign of slowing.
Broader Industry Implications: Setting a Benchmark
HARTING’s successful embrace of AI and cloud-driven manufacturing is more than a spectacular internal victory. It signals a pivotal shift for the entire industrial hardware sector. As more manufacturers, suppliers, and OEMs see the speed and satisfaction delivered by such tools, expectations across the ecosystem will rise.The days of dense, inscrutable catalogs and untold hours of manual configuration are limited. Companies unable or unwilling to modernize will quickly find themselves behind, as customers gravitate to vendors who prioritize accessibility, intelligence, and ease of use.
Potential Pitfalls: The Need for Continued Vigilance
While the promise of AI in industrial hardware is substantial, it is not without its risks. Technology leaders must be ever-vigilant against algorithmic bias, model drift, and unanticipated failure modes that may arise from changing technical standards or evolving customer requirements.Furthermore, as AI tools become central to product selection and customization, the importance of transparency, auditability, and human oversight grows. HARTING’s partnership approach—with human experts guiding AI solutions—offers a strong model, but continuous monitoring, testing, and improvement will be necessary to sustain reliability and trust.
Conclusion: A Blueprint for Digital Leadership in Manufacturing
What HARTING has accomplished, with support from Microsoft technologies, is emblematic of a larger revolution reshaping manufacturing one connector, one configuration, and one empowered customer at a time. Their story demonstrates that even the most traditional, specialized domains are ripe for digital reinvention when vision, expertise, and the right digital tools converge.The journey from manual selection to AI-enhanced design is not just about speeding up processes—it’s about opening the doors to innovation, reducing barriers to entry, and setting a new standard for what’s possible in industrial hardware. As cloud, AI, and digital configuration tools continue to reshape the landscape, HARTING’s experience offers invaluable lessons for enterprises across all sectors: digital transformation is not the preserve of software or IT companies alone. For those willing to rethink processes, embrace modern platforms, and focus relentlessly on customer value, the path to future relevance and leadership is wide open.
Source: www.microsoft.com HARTING reduces design time from weeks to minutes with Siemens and Azure AI | Microsoft Customer Stories
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