Coffee revolution: This is how Melitta uses artificial intelligence!

Coffee revolution: This is how Melitta uses artificial intelligence!

In the last few weeks, the gas station in Duisburg has developed into a hotspot for coffee lovers. The consumption of coffee in particular is becoming increasingly popular, which is supported by current figures. According to Statista, one in five coffees in Germany is sold at gas stations, bakeries and restaurants. This development is no coincidence - it shows that people no longer just want to enjoy coffee in a café or at home.

One company that is benefiting from this wave is Melitta. The manufacturer has recently found innovative ways to optimize coffee service through the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Paul Töws, Head of AI at Melitta, emphasizes the importance of first-class customer service and emphasizes that the use of chatbots is an effective way to avoid unnecessary technician deployments. This means problems are solved more quickly, which benefits both customers and employees. Day after day it becomes apparent how important it is to maintain direct contact with consumers, even in times of digitalization.

Artificial intelligence on the rise

The numbers speak for themselves: the use of AI has increased significantly among German companies in the past two years. According to the Ifo Institute, the proportion of companies implementing AI has more than doubled - a third of companies in the manufacturing sector are already using AI, often in the form of machine learning. Melitta started digitizing its devices and business models before the so-called “ChatGPT moment”, which shows that the company reacted early to trends.

An important aspect of Melitta's AI strategy is the development of an internal platform in collaboration with a local startup. This platform aims to ensure data protection and facilitate access to advanced AI technologies. In addition, a voluntary AI manager program was launched to train employees in current developments and possible uses of AI.

• In den ersten sechs Monaten des Programms wurden über hundert verschiedene Use-Cases identifiziert.
• Die Schwerpunkte liegen in Marketing, Vertrieb und Backoffice.

The recommendations from experts like Jens Polomski from snipKI on introducing AI are clear: companies should use their imagination to identify individual use cases and optimize processes before implementation. Understanding the AI ​​tools used also plays a central role in avoiding cost traps.

Looking into the future

The future holds exciting ideas. Melitta plans to enable voice-controlled coffee orders in the future. However, this requires clear strategies and good cost control, especially since AI tools like ChatGPT can cost around 20 euros per user per month. The federal government has also set a clear incentive to advance digitalization in German companies with 5.5 billion euros for AI funding between 2025 and 2030. It remains exciting to see what new possibilities will arise from these advances.

At a time when digital products are becoming increasingly important, it is even more important to keep up with the times. Entrepreneurs in the region should consider how they can use new technologies to their advantage without losing sight of customer needs.