Open day @ World Direct 2024

News Open day @ World Direct 2024

13 Jun 2024

We open our campus and show digitalisation in action

For the second time, we are part of the "Open Factory Gates" initiative, in which regional Tyrolean companies open their doors to visitors and give a glimpse behind the scenes.

Interest was very high again this year. A total of 600 places were available and had to be raffled off among the numerous registrations. Buses filled to the last seat took the visitors to the participating companies.

As a software development company and IT infrastructure operator, we are unable to present large production machines and warehouses, but, as we did last year, we have taken on the challenge of making the exciting topic of "digitalisation" tangible.

The many questions from visitors from all walks of life and age groups and the positive feedback give us the feeling that we have offered an interesting and entertaining programme.

After a brief introduction by our CTO Alexander Wolf, this year we focussed on the three topics of blockchain, energy and artificial intelligence and showed in small groups how relevant these topics are for all of us.

Top Tyrolean companies at "Open Factory Gates":

Ahrental Waste Management
Building supplies CANAL & CO
Mölk bakery
Brenner Base Tunnel
GWM equipment factory Matrei
Hall AG
MK Illumination
Recheis Pasta
Swarovski Optics
Tiroler Rohre GmbH
World Direct

Energy solutions

Tarek Ayoub, Head of the Energy Solutions department, and our CEO Jürgen Klösch highlighted the extent to which our electricity grid is being strained by both the rapid expansion of renewable energy sources and the unpredictability of PV and wind power. The resulting over- and underproduction of electricity is one of the key challenges of the energy future. Our virtual power plant and the smartBoiler developed together with Austria Email are important tools for stabilising the electricity grid and significantly reducing energy costs for households.

Blockchain

Dominik Wiendl, our expert for financial IT, introduced our visitors to the technically complex topic of blockchain. The aim of his presentation was to show that this technology is not only relevant for applications in the field of cryptocurrencies, but can also be used optimally in other areas when it comes to collecting and validating data.

Specific examples such as the validation of climate certificates and innovative fair weather insurance - two applications for which we were honoured with the prestigious Austrian Blockchain Award - made this topic tangible for everyone.

Artificial intelligence

Mario Raunig, Head of Marketing and Innovation, focussed on the trending topic of artificial intelligence. What does GPT actually stand for, what are the challenges of large language models and how do we at World Direct use the technology to analyse financial transactions, make medical findings understandable or automate accounting? Concrete examples of what is already possible triggered many wow-effects and questions among the visitors.

We were delighted to welcome so many interested people and would like to thank Petra Pöschl and the team from Offenes Werkstor.