The most compelling AI story this fortnight isn't from Silicon Valley or Shenzhen. It's from a kaolin mine in Bavaria

It's easy to assume the interesting AI transformation stories are all happening in San Francisco or Shenzhen. Gebrüder Dorfner, a family-owned raw materials business that has mined kaolin in Hirschau, Bavaria for over a century, is a useful reminder that they are just as often happening right in front of us. The company is targeting 40% revenue growth by treating its own operating data, not just its 47 hectares of mineral reserves, as the real asset. CEO Mirko Mondan calls the data "a treasure trove": AI-driven extraction planning is slowing how fast the kaolin is used, extending the mine's viable life, while the same data layer is opening new business models beyond simply selling more raw material. Based on our own work with clients pursuing AI-first transformation, this is exactly the pattern we believe is underrated: the businesses that get the most out of AI are rarely the ones chasing the most sophisticated model. They are the ones willing to rebuild their own operating data and business model holistically around it, kaolin mine or not. (Handelsblatt)