Connecting production and logistics: NEO Digital Industries on building a unified digital thread
In many manufacturing organizations, production planning is highly optimized – while logistics often remains fragmented across systems, partners, and manual processes. According to Marcel Meyer, co-founder of NEO Digital Industries (NEO), this disconnect is one of the most common barriers to end-to-end supply chain performance.
NEO specializes in supply chain planning and execution, supporting companies from demand planning, Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) through inventory, production planning, logistics and execution. With a strong foundation in advanced planning and scheduling (APS), the company has built deep insight into operational constraints inside the factory. Over time, this perspective expanded to include what happens beyond the factory walls – where logistics execution increasingly determines whether production plans deliver real business value.
From APS expertise to integrated logistics execution
NEO began its journey with Siemens technologies through APS implementations, addressing production scheduling challenges directly on the shop floor. As Meyer explains in the interview, filmed during Realize LIVE Americas 2025, these projects revealed a consistent insight: even the most robust production plans depend on synchronized logistics processes.
To close this gap, NEO took the next step by implementing AX4, the multi-enterprise digital logistics platform from Siemens. AX4 enables real-time collaboration across shippers, carriers and suppliers, connecting transportation and logistics execution directly with production planning. This combination creates synergies across the Siemens portfolio – linking Opcenter Advanced Planning an Scheduling (APS) with logistics execution in a shared, data-driven environment.
A practical case: logistics transformation at PADO
A concrete example discussed in the interview is PADO, one of the world’s largest padlock manufacturers and a long-standing customer of NEO. The collaboration with PADO began with Siemens production planning solutions and evolved through the implementation of Opcenter APS to address scheduling and capacity challenges.
Following the success of these initiatives, PADO identified logistics as the next critical area for digitalization. NEO supported the implementation of AX4 for transportation management and collaborative logistics, connecting PADO with its suppliers and carriers through a shared platform.
By integrating AX4 with Opcenter APS, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and carrier data exchanges, PADO reduced manual coordination, increased visibility across logistics operations, and improved alignment between production plans and transportation execution.
Enabling confidence through integration and partnership
A key theme in the interview is trust – both in the technology and in the partnership model. PADO’s progression from product lifecycle management (PLM) to APS and then AX4 reflects a step-by-step digital transformation, supported by solutions that integrate with existing systems rather than replacing them.
For Meyer, this continuity is essential. An integrated digital thread – from product lifecycle management to production planning and logistics execution – enables manufacturers to scale digitalization with confidence while preserving operational stability.
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