Siemens highlights digital tech at Hannover fair

Siemens is demonstrating how companies of any size can benefit from the digital revolution over an area of 3,800 sq m at Hannover Messe, the world’s largest industrial fair, running until April 28 in Hannover, Germany. At the Siemens booth, visitors can experience how Siemens as a front runner in the world of automation is driving forward the process of digitalization not only of its own business but across the whole of industry. The focus this year will be on the company’s further expanded portfolio for the “Digital Enterprise”, which links the virtual and real production worlds through the simulation of machines and plants using digital twins, or with the aid of MindSphere, the cloud-based, open IoT operating system. Using examples from the fields of additive manufacturing, energy for industry and dairy industry as well as pharmaceuticals, Siemens will be showcasing ways in which digitalization can already be used today across every stage of the entire value chain, securing its customers a real competitive edge through greater flexibility, efficiency and quality. “With our software portfolio we are the only supplier capable of offering the digital twin across the entire value chain – for products, for production and complete plants,” said Klaus Helmrich, member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG. “We are also supporting new production methods with innovative solutions for handling systems and robot integration and through the creation of an open, digital global marketplace for additive manufacturing.” The ability to respond flexibly to individual customer requirements with small batch sizes calls for the use of simulation solutions along the entire value chain. This is where the digital twin comes into its own, precisely duplicating and simulating the properties and performance features of a physical product, a product line, a process or a complete plant in the virtual world before a single screw needs to be picked up in the real world. This means a significant rise in productivity and efficiency, as illustrated by the concrete examples on show at the Siemens booth at this year’s Hannover Messe. With its extensive software offering and automation solutions, Siemens supports additive manufacturing for machine builders and users. The company is also creating a global open “digital marketplace” which opens up scope for completely new business models such as the sale of machine hours. The underlying foundation for new business models for customers is connection to MindSphere, the cloud-based, open operating system from Siemens. “Working hand in hand with our partners and industrial customers, we are continuing to drive forward the expansion of MindSphere as a platform as a service, creating an ever more extensive eco system,” said Helmrich. In the “MindSphere Lounge” at the Siemens booth, Siemens, customers and partners will be presenting new ideas and applications. Visitors will also have the chance to experience how simply machines and production plants communicate with MindSphere applications via Totally Integrated Automation. At the Hannover Messe 2017, Siemens will be using the example of the dairy industry to demonstrate how both process and discrete workflows in the food and beverage industry can benefit from digitalization. Factors typically affecting the dairy industry are high cost sensitivity and mass production on the one hand, coupled with the growing diversity of available flavours and innovative packaging concepts on the other. In the field of energy management too, the smart use of data is assuming an ever more important role. In order to support dynamic networked production environments, smooth interaction between hardware and software and systematic data management are vital. Visitors to the Siemens booth will have the chance to experience the integration of energy management first hand at a real production machine