The Automation World staff travels to Germany April 4-8, 2011 to bring
back news of world-class automation and innovation. Hannover Fair is an
annual technology showcase encompassing 13 tradeshows covering all
aspects of industry.
This year, hundreds of exhibitors from 65 countries are showing their
state-of-the-art technology to visitors from around the world under the
theme of "Smart Efficiency.
Note:For an entire week's worth of Automation World coverage at Hannover Fair, click here.
Bosch Rexroth
I had seen most of the automation stands at the show by Wednesday
morning. But I had an interview with Dr. Karl Tragl, chief executive
officer of Bosch Rexroth. So it was time to get a broader vision of
automation business.
Tragl pointed to several trends that were increasing during "The
Crisis"--as the recent recession is called in Europe. First is the
combination of increasing globalization and coordination within and
among companies globally coupled with the increasing need for local
support. Next is the increasing interaction of humans and machines. This
is seen especially in safety but also the cost of production. The
last--which reflects a trend seen everywhere this year at
Hannover--energy and environment.
One global economic trend is the disparity in growth among regions. On
the product side, there is increasing need to combine products into
better overall solutions and to design with more than one dimension in
mind. For example, Bosch Rexroth was demonstrating a combination
electric servo and hydraulic system that not only reduced energy
required for the process, but also reduced machine noise.
Bosch Rexroth has a goal of reducing its carbon footprint by 20 percent
by 2020. It has completed a pilot plant study within its organization
and is, in fact, rolling out the findings to customers. A case study
from France is due to be completed shortly.
Profi News
Profibus International, North America announced the addition of Bernie
Anger from GE Intelligent Platforms as a new board member as GE-IP has
announced that Profinet will be the backbone of its automation system
henceforth.
ProfiEnergy was a hit at the show with many products on display.
OPC Foundation
The OPC Foundation Partner exhibition showed many working examples of
the new OPC-UA specification. This has been a long time coming, but the
results are beginning to be seen.
Wrap up
There is no doubt that energy consumption is a global problem. Every
automation supplier is tackling it. How are you seeing it in your neck
of the woods?
For more Hannover Fair 2011 coverage, visit here.
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