New Lead­er­ship and Strategic Direc­tion at the OI4 Alliance

Munich, Reinach, 26 May 2026 – The Open Industry 4.0 Alliance (OI4 Alliance)  is setting the course for its next phase of growth and strategic devel­op­ment. As of July 2026, Michael Riester, industry expert and long-standing active member of the OI4 Alliance commu­nity, will assume the role of Managing Director. At the same time, the OI4 Alliance would like to thank current Managing Director Ekrem Yigitdöl for his many years of dedi­ca­tion and contri­bu­tion to the organization’s successful devel­op­ment.

Appre­ci­a­tion for Ekrem Yigitdöl’s Long-standing Commit­ment

After several years of success­fully contributing to the estab­lish­ment and growth of the OI4, Ekrem Yigitdöl will leave the OI4 Alliance at his own request to pursue new profes­sional oppor­tu­ni­ties. The members and the entire team sincerely thank him for his contin­uous commit­ment and his impor­tant role in shaping and growing the OI4 Alliance. Under his lead­er­ship and contri­bu­tion, the OI4 Alliance has evolved into a strong plat­form for open and inter­op­er­able automa­tion solu­tions.
“Ekrem Yigitdöl has shaped the devel­op­ment of the OI4 Alliance with great commit­ment, consis­tency, and a deep under­standing of the require­ments of indus­trial automa­tion. From the very begin­ning, he has been a driving force within the alliance and has played a key role in building our commu­nity and orga­ni­za­tion. We sincerely thank him for his dedi­ca­tion and the trusting collab­o­ra­tion over the years and wish him all the best for the future,” says Dr. Chris­tian Liedtke, Pres­i­dent of the OI4 Alliance.

Michael Riester to Lead OI4 Alliance

Michael Riester has been an active member of the OI4 Alliance since 2019 and is widely recog­nized throughout the commu­nity. On his very first day at Endress+Hauser, he partic­i­pated in an OI4 hackathon and has since contin­u­ously contributed to the alliance’s tech­nical and strategic devel­op­ment.
As co-author of several OI4 whitepa­pers on the Asset Admin­is­tra­tion Shell (AAS), Michael Riester has helped shape key tech­nical concepts within the orga­ni­za­tion. He also contributed to the devel­op­ment of the OI4 Refer­ence Archi­tec­ture and today’s “Guardrails” and led numerous work­groups and projects, including “Open Oper­ator Cloud,” “Digital Twin Concept,” “Instru­men­ta­tion Manage­ment,” and “Digital Quality Docu­ments.”
With exten­sive industry expe­ri­ence, partic­u­larly in the process industry, combined with deep tech­nical exper­tise, Michael Riester brings ideal qual­i­fi­ca­tions for the alliance’s next stage of devel­op­ment.

Conti­nuity and New Impulses for Indus­trial Digi­tal­iza­tion

As Michael Riester joins the OI4 Alliance directly from a member company and has actively contributed to the orga­ni­za­tion for many years, the tran­si­tion is seam­less and has already been prepared in close coor­di­na­tion over recent months.
„The OI4 Alliance has accom­pa­nied me since its very begin­ning. Together with our members, we have built impor­tant foun­da­tions for open, inter­op­er­able, and prac­tical Industry 4.0 solu­tions over the past years. I am looking forward to contin­uing this journey in my new role and to driving new impulses for indus­trial digi­tal­iza­tion together with the commu­nity,” explains Michael Riester.
With Michael Riester’s strong back­ground in the process industry, the OI4 Alliance is also empha­sizing this sector in the coming months. In June 2026, the alliance will host its Inno­va­tion Event for the Process Industry at Chempark Leverkusen, an event Michael Riester has already actively helped shape. At the same time, the OI4 Alliance remains committed to its cross-industry approach and will continue to actively address and support the require­ments of the discrete manu­fac­turing industry as well.

Strategic Devel­op­ment of the OI4 Alliance

The OI4 Alliance is currently under­going a strategic realign­ment, with an even stronger focus on the key tech­nolo­gies and initia­tives shaping the future of indus­trial digi­tal­iza­tion. Partic­ular emphasis will be placed on open and inter­op­er­able Industry 4.0 solu­tions, new inno­va­tion initia­tives, and the targeted use of Indus­trial AI to intel­li­gently connect, auto­mate, and opti­mize indus­trial processes.
With the planned comple­tion of the Factory‑X project, addi­tional capac­i­ties will become avail­able to explore new tech­nology areas and further advance the strategic devel­op­ment of the OI4 Alliance. The combi­na­tion of open stan­dards, data ecosys­tems, and Indus­trial AI appli­ca­tions repre­sents a key building block for the digital compet­i­tive­ness of Euro­pean industry.
At the same time, the OI4 Alliance will move into new office space in the Munich area. This creates the foun­da­tion for further growth, closer collab­o­ra­tion with members and part­ners, and the continued expan­sion of the alliance’s role as a central plat­form for indus­trial inno­va­tion, collab­o­ra­tion, and digital trans­for­ma­tion

About the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance

The Open Industry 4.0 Alliance (OI4 Alliance) is a leading, inter­na­tional industry asso­ci­a­tion with more than 100 member compa­nies from the manu­fac­turing, process, and IT indus­tries. It drives indus­trial digital trans­for­ma­tion by enabling scal­able, vendor-neutral solu­tions based on open stan­dards and inter­op­er­ability. Through collab­o­ra­tive projects, the asso­ci­a­tion connects industry stan­dards with real-world imple­men­ta­tion, helping compa­nies improve digital sover­eignty, compet­i­tive­ness, and sustain­ability. By enabling regular virtual and real-life gath­er­ings for knowl­edge exchange and co-devel­oping open-source tools, the OI4 Alliance empowers its members to thrive in the digital age and future-proof manu­fac­turing. For more infor­ma­tion, visit www.openindustry4.com.

Further infor­ma­tion on the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance: https://openindustry4.com/

Press contact:
Open Industry 4.0 Alliance
Anna Prin­ci­pato
anna.principato@openindustry4.com