Bürkle Relies on Digital Product Presentation: How the Machine Builder Reinvents Its Trade Show Presence

The company found the solution in a comprehensive digitalization strategy. This strategy puts the strength and unique position of the company at the center: the quality of consultation in sales.

The Starting Point: Classic Trade Show Presences Reach Their Limits

If you work in mechanical engineering, you know the challenge: trade show presences traditionally mean an immense logistics effort. Heavy machines must be transported, set up and taken down again. This costs time and money, and it also causes significant CO2 emissions.

"Until now, the transport and setup of large machines came with a lot of effort and high costs"

explains Florian Siegel, Head of Marketing at Bürkle.

"We looked for a way to present our systems just as convincingly, but much more efficiently."

The Digitalization Strategy: More Than Just 3D Models

Together with Vuframe, Bürkle developed a digital trade show concept that goes far beyond pure 3D visualization. The central idea was an interactive presentation environment in which you can discuss even complex special systems in detail.

The implementation included several core elements:

1. Large-format touchscreens integrated into the booth concept
2. A custom Windows application for interactive product presentations
3. Meeting islands for in-depth customer conversations
4. Central management of all digital assets in a cloud

For trade show presences, the team defined these guidelines:

1. Reusable across all trade shows
2. Suitable for both large and very small booth areas
3. International use beyond Europe (for example, the USA)

The Implementation: From Vision to Reality

The implementation took place step by step. First, the team prepared the CAD data of the most important systems and converted it into interactive 3D models. At the same time, the team developed the presentation environment, specially designed for the needs of sales conversations.

The choice was a custom-built, freely adjustable multi-touch table and wall-mounted 55-inch touchscreens. The number of demonstration units at the booth was reduced to 30% of the usual quantity, and only one larger unit was on display.

"The real surprise was how quickly our sales representatives adopted the new technology," says Siegel. "The system is so intuitive that practically no training was necessary."

Today, the app has 3D models for 168 machines and systems. Its media library also contains the sales documents for all technology divisions that Bürkle offers.

Measurable Success

The results of the new concept were impressive:

• Booth area reduced by 50% to 750 square meters
• 70% fewer machines on display at the booth
• Significantly lower logistics costs, setup and teardown times, and additional costs for the booth area (keyword: "price per drill hole")
• Lower CO2 emissions because machine transports are no longer necessary
• Option to present the complete product portfolio

In spite of these savings, the quality of the trade show presence was better than in previous years:

• More qualified conversations at the booth
• Higher quality of consultation in the conversations

Lessons Learned: Success Factors of Digitalization

The experience of Bürkle shows important success factors for similar digitalization projects:

1. Clear objective: from the start, the focus was on better consultation quality, not only on cost savings.
2. Step-by-step introduction: first tests on a smaller scale made adjustments possible before the large rollout.
3. Employee involvement: early involvement of the sales team made sure that the team accepted the solution.
4. Holistic approach: the company saw digitalization as part of the overall strategy, not as an isolated project.

The deep integration with the booth concept through the "meeting islands" gives a consistent overall impression.

First Success at Intersolar

Before Bürkle used the concept on a large scale at the leading trade show Ligna, the company first tested the digital approach at Intersolar in Munich. On a booth area of only 20 square meters, the company could present its complete machine portfolio. This was impressive proof of the efficiency of the new concept. "That was the moment when we knew: this works," remembers Florian Siegel. The successful test run was the foundation for the later full implementation.

Conclusion and Outlook

The Bürkle case is a clear example of how digitalization in mechanical engineering brings concrete advantages. "Looking back, the trade show was a complete success, in spite of the significant reduction of our exhibition area," says Florian Siegel. "The development and the investment in the collaboration with the Vuframe team paid off completely for us."

The positive experience led Bürkle to expand its digital strategy and to adopt more elements of Vuframe's digital platform for mechanical engineering in the company. In the future, the company also wants to use the interactive presentations in sales conversations outside of trade shows.