The Challenge
Heitkamp & Thumann Group manufactures precision components in metal and plastics — about 1,800 employees worldwide. Sensitive data needs a secure environment. At the same time, AI should be tried in a limited frame before going broad. It was unclear how well less technical colleagues would find their way in.
Why meinGPT
meinGPT became a pragmatic “sandbox”: controlled entry, GDPR-compliant, suitable for sensitive company data. Early power users acted as multipliers and pulled their areas along — without everyone having to be a power user from day one.
Even users who were not technical at all immediately found real value in the AI.
Solution
Instead of uncontrolled tool sprawl, the group got a shared, secure platform. The entry stayed deliberately low-threshold. Multipliers carried usage into teams — enablement through role models, not only through policy.
Results
- About 1,800 employees reached worldwide
- Secure frame for sensitive data
- Entry succeeded even for non-technical users
The organization gains steerability: AI is allowed and usable — without playing security and acceptance against each other.
Conclusion
Large industrial groups need a secure entry first, then breadth. Heitkamp & Thumann shows how a controlled sandbox creates power users — and brings the rest of the workforce along.