The Industrial Transformation Stage in Hall 3 is dedicated to cross-technology interchange and cross-industry networking. The spotlight will be on the latest trends for smart, energy-efficient and sustainable production. Partners and experts from a variety of disciplines will present high-class sequences and offer use cases, insights and solutions. Over the five days of the tradeshow, the focus will be on the five megatrends of industry as well as the current topic of ESG – Environmental, Social, Governance. These three buzzwords stand for the topic of sustainability and range from climate change and workforce diversity to sustainable financing strategies.

On Monday at the fair, Deutsche Messe is organizing a panel sponsored by the WomenPower career congress. Discussing the topic of decarbonization will be Judith Wiese, Member of the Board of Management at Siemens AG, Kamila Flidr, Director of Material Information at Altair, Lisa Reehten, member of executive management at Bosch Climate Solutions, Bosch Group, and Dr. Frauke Reinders, Head of Sustainability Management within IMA at Phoenix Contact. On Monday afternoon, the stage program will be devoted to the World Economic Forum.

On Tuesday, April 18, the Industrial Transformation Stage will focus on AI in industry – and not only for the major players. Robert Weber and Peter Seeberg, creators of the podcast of the same name, have put together an exciting program. Industrial applications in the field of artificial intelligence often differ significantly from consumer applications. On the panel, five companies will present their applications. Among the highlights: Visitors will learn how Hawe Hydraulik, a medium-sized mechanical engineering company, is taking advantage of AI, or how a large corporation like Siemens uses it. In addition, two young companies will present how they are planning to fundamentally change industrial processes with their solution – Werk24 and Monolith AI. All panelists will provide insights into their projects, discuss with moderators and answer audience questions.

The day will conclude with the presentation of the MIMA 2023 Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award, which recognizes new technologies and intelligent solutions for manufacturing companies that contribute to process or product improvement, open up new revenue opportunities, or have a positive impact on sustainability and energy efficiency.

Wednesday, April 19, is Buyers’ Day at the tradeshow. This is when the German Purchasing and Logistics Association (BME) is organizing a panel for buyers. The purchasing world is uniquely challenged nowadays. The corona crisis and the war in Ukraine have highlighted the risks of globalized procurement strategies, and materials supply has grown in importance as opposed to pure cost savings and, in addition to changes in the real economy, legal regulations – for example with the Supply Chain Sourcing Obligations Act – are placing even greater demands on supplier management. The BME Buyers’ Day at HANNOVER MESSE offers all buyers an excellent opportunity to gain a quick overview of a wide range of supplier offerings and to make important contacts on these topics, exchange ideas with experts and treat themselves to a wealth of knowledge on the current situation in the world of procurement in the course of informative presentations.

On Thursday at the trade fair, April 21, the Industrial Transformation Stage will kick off with the panel “Decentralized! Resilient! Renewable! Is energy self-sufficient industry an unattainable ideal or a realistic opportunity?” Speakers include Prof. Dr. Julia Arlinghaus, Director of the Fraunhofer IFF Magdeburg, Frank Stührenberg, CEO, Phoenix Contact, and Heinrich Gärtner, Founder and CTO of GP Joule. Afterwards, CEOs of globally leading companies in compressed air and vacuum technology will discuss the discrepancy between theory and practice. Speakers include: Thomas Kaeser (Kaeser Compressors), A. Can Dirin (Lupamat Makina), Olaf Hoppe (Boge Compressors), Helen Landhäusser (LOOXR) and Klaus Peter Glöckner (Aerzener Maschinenfabrik). On behalf of the co-organizer VDMA Compressors, Compressed Air and Vacuum Technology, Christoph Singrün will provide an overview of the relevant activities in the field.

• Effective human-machine interaction in the manufacturing process
• APAS family production assistants for flexible production
• OPCON automation system for managing the entire production and logistics chain
• Bosch both a lead user and lead provider in Industry 4.0

Hannover – At the Hannover Trade Fair, Bosch is showcasing powerful concepts for a flexible and connected factory. This involves connecting software and hardware in an intelligent way so as to sustainably optimize the interplay of processes, machines, and people (Connected Shopfloor Solutions). It is an endeavor supported by mobile production assistants that work directly alongside people without the need for special safety guards. Modular automation systems make it possible to examine production processes in detail, visualize them, and so retain control at all times. Intelligent sensor systems join with innovative diagnostics solutions and operating concepts that draw on 3D visualization and augmented reality to help speed up reaction times and boost productivity.

Solutions that are benefiting Bosch today
Most of the solutions on display are already being put to good use within the Bosch Group, or else are currently undergoing testing. It is a testament to the international technology and service provider’s prominent dual role in Industry 4.0 as both a lead user and a lead provider. “At our booth, users can see for themselves how new solutions that focus on the user are making Industry 4.0 a reality,” says Volker Hartmann, Deputy Vice President Business Unit Assembly Systems and Special Machinery. “What’s been key is the overarching collaboration among various Bosch divisions. This is what allows us to develop the forward-looking solutions we use to improve efficiency in the production process. In so doing, we also lend our support to cross-sector trends such as individualization of products and shortened product lifecycles.”

APAS family: mobile production assistants for the factory of the future
A good example of this sort of solution is the APAS family of mobile production assistants, which Bosch developed specifically for Industry 4.0. All three of the production assistants on show in Hannover share a standardized operating concept and come with connectivity options that allow them to be employed anywhere, either on their own or in combination. What’s more, the new Remote Service Manager by Bosch Software Innovations will now allow APAS service technicians to complete installation, diagnostic, and maintenance work remotely – saving both time and money.

Integrated safety technology
APAS inspector is a mobile testing device for visual inspections equipped with a high-definition, high-speed camera and innovative 3D technology. Thanks to its exchangeable inspection modules, the APAS inspector can be used in all sorts of production scenarios, for instance highly delicate surface inspections or completeness checks. APAS flexpress is a mobile production assistant that allows for highly flexible and highly accurate assembly. Integrated safety technology ensures that human and machine work smoothly together. The same goes for the APAS assistant. It was the first assistance system certified by the German occupational health and safety agency and can work directly alongside people without the need for safety guards thanks to a special sensor skin interface. Visitors to the fair in Hannover will be able to see exactly how it works at the APAS coffee bar, where an APAS assistant will be preparing their coffee.

Intelligent sensor devices monitor critical processes in real time
People and machines will receive support across the entire production and logistics chain through the integration of Bosch Connected Devices and Solutions’ intelligent sensor devices. While the APAS assistant is placing the product with precision into the freight packaging designed for the purpose, a special app visualizes the motion and positioning on a monitor. Integrated sensors facilitate monitoring of the shipping process. Critical incidents such as unexpected opening of the package are registered by a light sensor and immediately reported to the person responsible, so they can undertake appropriate measures.

Comprehensive Shopfloor Management with the OPCON suite
The OPCON suite guarantees maximum transparency and flexibility across the entire value added chain with its IT Shopfloor Solutions. It is a modular, scalable automation system that allows you to manage production and quality data throughout, as well as logistics processes. “For over 15 years now, we’ve been steadily refining the OPCON system within the Bosch Group, and we use it to control hundreds of production plants worldwide,” says Hartmann. This year’s fair in Hannover will be the first time that OPCON will be showcased to members of the expert public and presented for use outside of the Bosch Group. The centerpiece is the Shopfloor Management module, which provides transparency across the entire value added chain via a broad range of software modules, allowing it to connect machines and analyze real-time production data. There are also intuitive graphical modeling tools from the Group’s own software and systems unit, Bosch Software Innovations, that enable specialist users to define rules without the need for programming knowledge. These rules allow critical system events to be identified automatically and suitable measures taken.

New user interfaces: 3D visualization and augmented reality
In connected manufacturing, specialists are supported by new visualization applications that give them a constant and comprehensive overview of all the production steps and processes. Once more, this is an area in which connectivity and intelligent interplay of hardware and software play a decisive role. Thanks to a collaboration with Fraunhofer IGD institute in Rostock, visitors in Hannover will be able to see a 3D visualization of a production process in its entirety – monitored and managed via a big touch screen. Changing the production sequence, for instance, is a simple case of swiping the screen.

To pin down production errors quickly, new augmented reality tools have been introduced as a supplement to conventional user interfaces and diagnostics concepts. This involves affixing a QR code to the system in question, and then scanning the code to call up additional diagnostic and status information on tablet complete with spatial mapping. This capacity extends all the way to taking a look at the inside of a device without the need to open it.

Can flexible automation production be implemented according to the requirements of industry 4.0? Yes, underscores SCHUNK, the competence leader for clamping technology and gripping systems, and proved this with evidence at the Hannover Messe. Together with several partners, SCHUNK transforms the visions of the smart factory into reality by showcasing an assembly cell. The most apparent characteristic: The condition and process monitoring, and the communication are directly done at the component level. The smart SCHUNK modules are closing the gap to the handling objects, and allow a consistent flow of information from the gripper finger to the ERP system.

The industry 4.0 assembly cell, which has been designed by SCHUNK, the software specialist ORBIS, the plant builder Erhardt + Abt, plusdrei engineering team, and SIM Automation, impressively shows how Pick & Place units, 3-axis room gantries, robots, and mobile platforms autonomous cooperate during assembly, control, packaging, and transportation, and therefore allow smart production. With every new component, and every priorized order, the cell newly invents the matching choreography. Every individual process step is in detail monitored by sensors, and is reported to the handling system or even the plant control unit and the ERP. The SCHUNK assembly units and handling components and even the system control unit are connected with each other by fieldbus or ethernet, and build a cyber-physical system. Smart, intelligent SCHUNK grippers, lightweight arms, Pick & Place units, and linear direct axis allow a decentrallized control on the components level, making a dynamic and flexible process. “The intelligence of handling components is a decisive key on the way to building a smart factory,” Dr. Markus Klaiber, TCO of SCHUNK said.

Integrated communication and control of process
The precondition of such a scenario is already given: SCHUNK mechatronic grippers and SCHUNK force-moment sensors which can be adjusted by force and position, allow precise condition monitoring. The SCHUNK FT sensors detects slightest deviations even before a failure of malfunction could happen, and creates the best preconditions for a predictable and effective intervention in the framework of a predictive maintenance. They allow a decentralized intelligence within the individual task, and are suitable for controlling the process parameters, decentralized quality assurance, and documentation of the quality criteria. SCHUNK grippers, change systems, and rotary feed-through which are suitable for fieldbus, present a barrier-free communication between component and system. Versatile SCHUNK gripping modules, efficient change systems, and highly dynamic, freely programmable linear direct axes finally allow a flexible process design at a maximum productivity.

Mechatronic or pneumatic
A mechatronic high-end solution is not required for every industry 4.0 scenario. Three of the altogether six stations of the SCHUNK assembly cell have been conventionally equipped with pneumatics, and by means of intelligent SCHUNK Sensors they are ready for the smart production. “No matter if pneumatic or mechatronic, gripping, turning, changing, Pick & Place or translational motions: SCHUNK offers the matching component for the smart factory,” said Dr. Markus Klaiber. Users can freely choose among the standardized SCHUNK product range, the degree of intelligence and flexiblity of every individual process step. “Depending on the application it can be sufficient to equip a pneumatic SCHUNK gripper with a sensor which is suitable for industry 4.0. Two stations further, the highly flexible mechatronic SCHUNK solution may be the better choice,” explained Klaiber. No other manufacturer covers such a broad range of industry 4.0 suitable actuators as SCHUNK does.