Sabine Mühlenkamp

How does a company go from building mills and silo systems to becoming a specialist in raw materials handling? With creativity and inventive spirit, that is how. As a result, today the name Azo stands for wide-ranging know-how and expertise in all areas relating to raw materials, plant construction and process engineering, as well as control technology and automation. And all this with the goal of automating bulk materials and fluids handling processes.

While food lovers immediately think of cherry gateau and the regional ham, measurement and control engineers all around the world associate the Black Forest with level and pressure measurement. With close regional ties to its site in Schiltach right in the heart of the Black Forest, Vega has been focusing on these two measuring methods for decades and is regarded an innovation driver in the field. Radar measurement technology in particular has made a major contribution to the success of the company.

Since the company was founded in 1959, the signals have been continuously set to growth at Vega. Today, the company generates turnover of around 420 million euros. This is thanks to the fact that it has concentrated on two core technologies: level and pressure measurements. But it is in part also down to a very unique corporate culture.

It may just be “nothing,” but this “nothing” really packs a punch! Without vacuum, many everyday things would be impossible — whether spectacles, smartphones, medicines or foodstuffs with a long shelf life. Pfeiffer Vacuum has been synonymous for high-quality vacuum technology for over 125 years. And it is not just the technology itself that makes the company stand out, but above all its feeling for the different challenges faced by particular industries.

While the early days of Endress+Hauser were all about delivering reliable and accurate measured values, today the family company is driving digitalization and Industry 4.0 projects at high speed — always with a focus on the customer.

For 65 years, family company Endress+Hauser has managed the balancing act of constantly striving for innovation while never forgetting about its roots. Then and today, the main focus has always been on serving the customer. How this can be done in the era of digitalization is highlighted by Günther Lukassen, Managing Director of Endress+Hauser Germany, and Nikolaus Krüger, member of the Executive Board at Endress+Hauser.

In many chemical industry plants, a safety controller ensures the required level of safety — in the event of danger, it switches off. In order to do justice to this task, it decides, like a watchman, which signals from the field level may be forwarded to higher-level systems and which not. Field device diagnostics for maintenance and optimization have so far been left out of the scope. For the first time, a solution jointly developed by Endress+Hauser and Hima also grants access to advanced diagnostics from instruments applied in safety loops.

The advantages of flexible automation solutions have long been talked about, and now it comes down to putting them into practice. In doing so, the aim is to link the respective smart modules in such a way that the overall plant runs in harmony. ABB shows that it has mastered all the parts in the orchestra.

Will the visitor record of 16,000 for the previous event be broken this year? There is no reason why it should not be like that with regard to the focus topics of Powtech 2017. And the challenges of the bulk solid process industry are unabatedly high. Containment, traceability and, of course, digitalization demand new ideas and technologies.

Tomorrow's automation technology starts today. From field device daily routine through the chances of modularization up to data mining. Suspense and excitement continued on the second day of the Namur Annual General Meeting. Here, it was clearly palpable: The modernization tempo that users and operators in the process automation have jointly unleashed has increased significantly.

Expectations from the Namur Annual General Meeting are understandably high - and once again, no one was disappointed. Many exciting and future-oriented lectures and discussions on subjects like Remote Operation, Industry 4.0, modularized automation and plant performance illustrated on the very first day the direction in which users and suppliers in process automation are being forced. The sector must overcome its limits in order to embrace new solutions...