Brakeable, a startup from the environment of Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship (SCE), uses artificial intelligence (AI) to simplify the repair process. Through a collaboration with sports equipment manufacturer Ortlieb, the solution has already been integrated into the company’s German web shop. The tool was officially presented at ISPO in Munich.
Customers can now precisely locate defects, identify the affected product, and describe the problem easily. Brakeable’s AI-based platform supports this with repair tips and an initial cost estimate. This reduces follow-up questions and accelerates the processing of requests.
Martin Esslinger, CEO of Ortlieb, explains:
“Brakeable simplifies the customer journey for repair requests. For end customers, it becomes easier because they don’t need expert knowledge to describe what exactly is defective. For us as a company, the requests and associated customer communication are much more efficient because they are much more specific. We’re pleased that we can further expand the area of repairs, which is important from a sustainability perspective, and that we can be at the forefront with Stefan Hauser and his team’s tool.”
According to its own information, Ortlieb repairs around 18,000 products annually at its headquarters in Heilsbronn and places great emphasis on sustainability. The partnership with Brakeable helps increase product longevity by identifying vulnerabilities early and feeding them back into product development.
Brakeable founder Stefan Hauser explains:
“We want to simplify and make more efficient the experiences customers have throughout the customer journey in repairs. Being able to implement this with a company like Ortlieb, which is known for its high number of repairs and product longevity, is of course fantastic.”
Expansion of the partnership is already planned. In addition to integrating the service network, Ortlieb intends to provide end customers with instructions for simple repairs using the tool. For this purpose, video tutorials and matching spare parts are to be made available directly on the website.
