New fields of business – we open up new opportunities for the future
We accept the challenge
Digitalization creates new challenges for us that we boldly take up. We don’t just want to keep an eye on developments in new markets; we want to actively shape them, invest in digital business models, and gain digital know-how. In 2017, we established the VC/O digital unit to master the challenges of digitalization.
Safeguarding the future through risk diversification
Our economic environment is in a state of constant change. The pace of change, however, has increased significantly recently. One driver of this development is climate change and the energy revolution that goes with it, which has created new challenges for Viessmann in its core business. Another propelling force is digitalization. It is changing our company processes and how we interact with our partners and customers. Digitalization ultimately also produces new business models that compete with our core business.
Thanks to VC/O, we not only monitor developments but actively shape them and invest in the future. Our goal here is to ensure long-term prospects for the Group and the operational business areas, while also making a contribution to the future viability of the economic environment in Central Europe. All digital activities of the Viessmann family that do not belong to the core business are currently organized under VC/O. The Directors of VC/O are Tobias Rappers and Professor Dr. Markus Pfuhl.
The most important part of VC/O is the Berlin-based Maschinenraum – a platform made by and for medium-sized companies. The Maschinenraum is a shared innovation ecosystem that brings together German medium-sized and family-owned companies to address future issues and drive the digital transformation of medium-sized companies.
The companies under the umbrella of VC/O
The open medium-sized company platform Maschinenraum, the company builder WATTx, and the venture capitalists Vito One and Vito Ventures are all included under the VC/O umbrella. The Maschinenraum is at the center of our network. It is a place of work, learning, and events. Its purpose is to empower German medium-sized companies to understand future issues and get them to actively shape the future.