The Wallhäußer Innovation Award 2026 recognises innovative solutions that deliver real added value for industrial applications in the pharmaceutical industry. This year, Bayer, Berlin-Chemie and Merck Healthcare were awarded 2nd place for a new level of knowledge-based production enabled by MADDOX.
The award-winning project was:
“MADDOX: AI-Based Assistance Software to Increase Production Efficiency in a GMP Regulated Environment”
The award confirms what we at PEEROX have been experiencing in practice for years: production knowledge is one of the biggest levers for efficiency — when it is available where it is needed.
When experiential knowledge determines production performance
In many production environments, rapid troubleshooting still depends heavily on the experiential knowledge of individual employees. The problem: this knowledge is stored in people’s heads, old shift logs, or scattered documentation. When a machine is down, there is often no time for lengthy searching. Operators escalate to maintenance — often even for issues that could be resolved directly on site with the right knowledge. The result: unnecessary interruptions, overloaded maintenance teams, and lost production time. This is exactly where MADDOX comes in.
Empower operators. Relieve maintenance.
MADDOX was developed to make experiential knowledge usable in day-to-day production.
The AI-based assistance software supports operators directly at the machine with context-specific solution suggestions, instructions, and experiential knowledge from comparable situations.
This enables recurring issues to be resolved faster and more independently — without having to wait for a call-back or support from maintenance.
This creates two effects at once:
● Operators become more capable of taking action
● Maintenance teams are relieved of recurring routine requests
Or put differently: less firefighting, more time for sustainable improvements.
Especially valuable in regulated environments
In GMP-regulated production environments, standardised processes, traceability, and fast, safe decisions are particularly important. This is where MADDOX builds an important bridge: non-GMP-relevant knowledge can be captured with a low barrier to entry, for example via photos and videos. Existing content can be easily further developed, with benefits that quickly become tangible for individuals and the team. This creates motivation and a living knowledge management system.
GMP-relevant knowledge, on the other hand, should not evolve dynamically, but be provided centrally with traceable versioning. Established systems exist for managing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). MADDOX enables seamless interaction with these systems, combining the best of both worlds in knowledge management.
The award-winning project with Bayer, Berlin-Chemie and Merck Healthcare shows exactly how this works with MADDOX: production knowledge is made digitally available and used where it makes the biggest operational difference.
Not as additional software that employees have to actively search. But as an assistance system that supports them in their work context.
AI with practical value instead of an end in itself
At PEEROX, we do not see artificial intelligence as a buzzword.
Value is not created by technology alone, but by its use in real production processes.
With MADDOX, that means in concrete terms:
● fewer unplanned downtimes
● faster problem resolution
● better knowledge transfer
● shorter onboarding times
● greater confidence to act for operators
● more capacity for maintenance teams
The award at the Wallhäußer Innovation Award confirms this approach.
A strong signal for the future of manufacturing
The fact that leading companies such as Bayer, Berlin-Chemie and Merck Healthcare were honoured together with MADDOX shows that AI-based assistance systems are no longer a topic for the future.
They already deliver measurable added value in day-to-day production today.
For us, the award is therefore above all one thing: confirmation that we are on the right path.