Hoffmann Group "Connected Tools" awarded with German Innovation Award 2021

With Hoffmann Group Connected Tools (HCT), the Hoffmann Group is driving digitization in the tool industry. For this, Hoffmann has now won the coveted German Innovation Award 2021. The open HCT platform for Bluetooth tools convinced the jury with its user-friendly concept and its innovative smartphone app. Easy wireless transfer of measurement data directly to the PC or to the HCT smartphone app is the added value of Hoffmann Group Connected Tools. Currently, digital GARANT calipers HCT, GARANT depth slide gauges HCT and the electronic GARANT torque wrenches HCT already belong to the Hoffmann Group Connected Tools family. The free HCT smartphone app is available in the App Store and on Google Play.

The basis for Hoffmann Group Connected Tools is the HCT smartphone app, which can be linked to HCT tools to capture, store and manage measurement data wirelessly via Bluetooth. This prevents documentation errors that occur with manual data transfer and simplifies quality management; saving measurement data becomes child's play. For further processing, measurement values including tool serial number, measurement date, unit and all relevant settings can be exported in CSV format to the desired PC application, such as Excel or Word. Moreover, it is possible to configure the HCT tools so that they do not send the measured values to the app, but directly to a PC application such as Excel or Word. No software needs to be installed for this.

The app can also make an important contribution to repeatability: measurement parameters, target values and allowable tolerance limits can be stored in the app. Once configured, the same workflow is always executed identically and the worker receives a warning, for example, if the permissible measurement values are exceeded. The openness of the HCT platform to all manufacturers is also attractive for the user. Already now, measuring tools from Mitutoyo, Sylvac SA and Bowers Group can be used alongside the GARANT HCT tools via the app. Other well-known manufacturers have already expressed interest in integrating their products into the HCT app.

With its HCT platform, the Hoffmann Group emerged as the winner in the "Excellence in Business to Business - Information Technologies | Industry Specific and Service Software" category. The German Innovation Award honors cross-industry products and solutions that stand out primarily through user orientation and added value over previous solutions.