GEA and Romanian technology firm RebelDot are joining forces to speed digital transformation in the global process industry.
The new joint venture, called RebelDot Process Industries, will be headquartered in Cluj, Romania, and is slated to launch in January 2026. The company will specialize in software development services—including web, mobile, and AI solutions—specifically designed for industrial clients.
The collaboration merges GEA’s deep experience in the process industry with RebelDot’s software engineering expertise to help process industry and mechanical engineering companies accelerate the development, scaling, and operation of digital solutions. Customers can expect shorter product time-to-market, higher development efficiency, and cost-effective operations enabled by modern DevOps practices. GEA has also assigned a dedicated software engineering team at RebelDot to jointly develop AI solutions, including the GEA Copilot, which assists customers’ maintenance teams in completing service tasks.
“The joint venture enables us to combine our leading industry expertise with software excellence. This underscores our ambition to lead the digital transformation of the process industry and deliver first-class value to our customers,” said Tom Oelsner, Chief Digital Officer of GEA.
RebelDot, one of Romania’s fastest-growing technology companies, is based in Cluj-Napoca, a major European tech hub. The company achieved 40% growth in both revenue and headcount in 2024, employing more than 300 professionals. Known for its strong reputation among young tech talent, RebelDot maintains close ties with the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca. The company has also expanded its AI capabilities through the acquisition of a specialist firm, enabling the joint venture to support OEMs in developing AI-driven applications and solutions.
“We are excited to join forces with GEA in shaping the future of digital solutions for the process industry. Our experience as a digital innovation partner, blending user-centered design with cutting-edge software engineering, combined with GEA’s global reach and industry expertise, creates powerful synergies to deliver sustainable, customer-focused solutions,” said Tudor Ciuleanu, CEO of RebelDot.
GEA operates a large industrial cloud platform in the process industry—the GEA Cloud—which connects more than 10,000 units of process equipment worldwide. The joint venture with RebelDot is expected to accelerate development cycles, enhance agility, and provide access to specialized expertise, complementing GEA’s open-source software strategy. Earlier in 2025, GEA became a member of the Eclipse Foundation, an independent non-profit supporting open-source software collaboration and innovation. Both GEA and RebelDot Process Industries will develop open-source-ready code and actively contribute to the process industry software community.
One example of this approach is Project Sealman, which offers an open-source IIoT connectivity stack for machine builders. The initiative allows OEMs to focus on digital customer solutions while standardizing and simplifying equipment connectivity to their cloud systems. With this open and collaborative framework, the joint venture positions itself as a partner for OEMs and industrial companies seeking scalable, future-proof software for a connected, digital production ecosystem.
Find out more at: https://www.gea.com/en/