DMG MORI

DMG MORI, one of the world's largest machine tool manufacturers, operates a complex global production network spanning the full discrete manufacturing value chain — from logistics and goods receipt through pre-assembly, production, assembly, commissioning, and after-sales service. As facilities scaled, the reliance on paper-based work instructions and manual quality checks created inconsistency across sites and contributed to preventable defects. Frontline operators lacked real-time access to the information they needed at their workstations. Without a unified digital layer, standardizing quality processes across geographically distributed factories required dedicated IT involvement for every change — slowing iteration and leaving defect reduction opportunities on the table.

DMG MORI partnered with Tulip beginning in 2019 to replace paper-based workflows with a composable, no-code app platform deployed across the entire shop floor value chain. Tulip runs as a SaaS application on Microsoft Azure, which DMG MORI already relied on — satisfying existing IT security policies and enabling a trusted hybrid cloud model. Rather than routing all development through central IT, the implementation empowered shop floor operators and operational excellence teams to build and maintain their own applications using Tulip's visual, low-code editor. Apps were deployed across supply chain intake, production assembly, inline quality inspection, and commissioning workflows. The Microsoft Azure backbone provided the scalability needed to extend this model across DMG MORI's global manufacturing network without bespoke infrastructure for each site.

The program produced measurable impact at scale:

• 1,000+ Tulip apps deployed across DMG MORI's global manufacturing network
• 75% reduction in defects attributed to digitized quality inspection and standardized work instructions

Beyond the headline numbers, DMG MORI achieved a paperless shop floor model across the full value chain — a stated strategic objective of executive leadership. Frontline workers, not IT departments, now own app creation and iteration, compressing the time between identifying a process gap and deploying a fix. The Azure-hosted deployment model allowed rapid scaling without duplicating infrastructure investment across facilities.

• No-code platforms shift the bottleneck: when operators can build and modify apps without IT support, quality improvements happen closer to the source and move faster.
• Existing cloud infrastructure reduces adoption friction: deploying Tulip on Microsoft Azure — already trusted within DMG MORI's security policy — removed a common enterprise barrier to platform adoption.
• Value chain breadth matters: applying the platform from inbound logistics through commissioning, rather than isolating it to one area, compounds the defect reduction impact across handoffs.
• Executive sponsorship accelerates paperless goals: visible commitment from board-level leadership to a paperless shop floor gave the initiative the mandate needed to scale across global facilities.