What impact does a challenge have one year later?
GEA as a former challenge partner: Impacts, benefits and plans
Reading time: 5 min
One year later: what happens after an open innovation challenge?
A challenge win is great — but the real value is created after the pitch, when a solution is tested, refined, and turned into something a business can actually use.
In this interview article, GEA shares honest insights from their open innovation challenge on water efficiency in dairy plants: what worked, what was harder than expected, and what they would do differently next time.
At prototype.club, we don’t stop at matchmaking. We support partners from the challenge setup all the way through to a structured scoping workshop and a clear collaboration agreement — so that great ideas become real projects. You’ll learn how the collaboration with OmegaLambdaTec continued after the competition — from scoping and requirements to MVP testing — including concrete timelines, key learnings, and measurable results.
1. How was the concept further developed after the competition and applied at GEA?
After the competition, we picked up the idea right away and continued to push it forward. Two teams were formed for this purpose — one from GEA and one from OmegaLambdaTec. Over the course of four months, we met every two weeks to refine the project together. These sessions covered everything: from user requirements and production processes to hands-on implementation. This allowed us to evolve the original idea, optimise the software, and create a product both teams are happy with.
2. Where does the project stand today — is it already completed or still in progress?
The first project phase has been completed. OmegaLambdaTec deployed the “minimum viable product” (MVP) on a private cloud infrastructure so it could be tested extensively. The GEA team has already trialled this software, provided feedback — and we incorporated it straight away. As a result, the MVP is now in a really strong place.
3. How did the project’s timeline and budget evolve over the course of the project?
The budget was clearly defined from the outset — and it was met. All core features were delivered, and there were even a few extras: the software can now track not only water, but also dairy products with high precision. Another highlight was the “Return on Investment Optimiser.” This was developed up to the proof-of-concept stage and offers strong potential for further expansion.
4. What challenges arose during implementation, and how were they addressed?
From a technical perspective, development progressed very efficiently thanks to OmegaLambdaTec’s strong libraries. The real challenge lay in modeling the complex milk processing workflows. For example, some cleaning processes consist of up to eight phases with different amounts of water and chemicals — each with its own impact on equipment and wastewater. Simplifying this complexity while still representing it realistically was only possible through close collaboration between GEA and OmegaLambdaTec.
5. What measurable results have been achieved so far?
The software has been built with a high degree of flexibility, allowing a wide range of production plants and scenarios to be modeled. Using anonymized test data, the team has already been able to determine concrete key performance indicators — such as a plant’s total water usage, product volumes per piece of equipment, and potential savings. Particularly impressive: with targeted investments in water-saving technologies, it’s possible to save up to 200,000 liters of water per day.
6. What are the next steps?
Next up is a presentation to the extended GEA management team to introduce the product across the company. At the same time, we’re already developing ideas for additional features — especially in the area of the user interface. Depending on whether GEA customers or internal specialists are the main users, we can tailor the interface to fit their needs. One thing is clear: the project has gotten off to a successful start, and the journey continues with plenty of energy.
Conclusion
This project is a great example of how quickly a competition outcome can translate into operational value. Within the first phase, the teams delivered an MVP, validated it through testing, and generated measurable KPIs — including significant savings potential of up to 200,000 liters of water per day with targeted investments.
With the upcoming management presentation and further UI development already in planning, the initiative is moving from MVP to broader adoption — and setting the stage for scalable impact across additional plants and scenarios.
One open innovation challenge has turned into tangible benefits with broad impact within one year – the true value of startup collaboration supported by prototype.club.
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