“At Viessmann, we actually live our purpose”

At Viessmann, data scientists work with an enormous set of IoT data that goes as far back as 2002. Physicist Dr. Marina Pausch works with her team as they transform this data into innovative, optimized solutions for Viessmann customers and partners alike.

Dr. Marina Pausch joined Viessmann in the summer of 2019 while at a crossroads in her career. “I worked as a research assistant after my studies and during my doctorate in physics at the University of Marburg,” she remembers. When she began her work as an intern in Viessmann’s Data Science department, she came equipped with expertise in computational fluid dynamics, but data science proved interesting as a potential route out of academia. The opportunity to explore practical applications in sustainable and innovative technology appealed to her. Marina says, “I wanted to apply my knowledge in a more practical context”.

At Viessmann, Marina was pleased to discover the challenges and opportunities she faced: Before joining, she wasn’t aware of how far the company had already progressed towards digitalization. “Viessmann has a large IoT database that we can analyze,” she says. She explains that the data comes from installed Viessmann climate solutions, and that even old boilers from 1998 onwards can be connected via Wifi. This data is used to optimize the Viessmann climate solutions and to drive innovation in digital services for Viessmann customers and partners.

Driving innovation forward at Viessmann with data

While the Data Science team is still growing at Viessmann, it plays a key role that impacts the whole company. “We support colleagues in all matters relating to data analysis and coordinate their work with our road map,” Marina explains. And while the central team works with departments across the company and international teams, many departments have their own data analysts as well.

With her team, Marina provides support for the whole organization, which is what makes her works so varied. “We just have so many different topics in so many different areas in the company: From predictive maintenance to workforce planning in the call center,” Marina explains. Her team follows a hybrid model and is split mainly between Allendorf and Wroclaw, Poland, where Viessmann has a research and development center. Artificial intelligence is an important field, too. Data scientists like Marina use AI as a driving force behind the continual innovation for which Viessmann prides itself. The technology is used in areas such as Digital Services, where partners and customers can access remote services or assistance via an app. She says, “We not only use data to improve our products and assist with failure analysis – we also optimize internal processes”.

“Viessmann really trusts its employees”

When Marina arrived at Viessmann, she quickly found her place. “Viessmann trusted me right from the start,” she says. “I was placed in charge of the ViAid project at the beginning of 2020 even though hardly anyone at the company knew me at the time”.  

The ViAid project was an important one: At the start of the COVID pandemic, Viessmann combined its aid activities under the name ViAid to produce disinfectants and face masks, which were urgently needed from the start, and even respirators. “I was given the opportunity to drive the project forward,” she says. Shortly thereafter, Marina was able to take over project management in research and development, but she remembers the ViAid project fondly. “It was a lot of fun and a great opportunity when I had just started here. Viessmann really trusts its employees”.