The Friedhelm Loh Group’s businesses are responding to digital transformation, as well as edge and cloud computing, as megatrends. They’ll show off new data-driven solutions for panel building and switchgear manufacture, as well as improvements in industrial manufacturing plant operations. The digital twin of engineering and production to the wiring plan pocket, as well as transparency and sovereignty in data use and sharing in manufacturing, are all areas of focus.
The global pandemic, as well as political and technological changes, are posing enormous challenges to businesses of all sizes. The megatrends of digital transformation, edge computing, and cloud computing are causing unprecedented disruption in the industry.
Making things simple, together with the digital transformation
“Right now, companies are being forced to question the efficiency of their processes and to use completely new solutions – from panel building and switchgear engineering for a variety of markets to the manufacturing industry with increasing, often unused amounts of data in production. These all call for simple solutions and the courage to not only talk about changes but also to achieve them swiftly and concretely,” says Uwe Scharf, Managing Director Business Units and Marketing at Rittal. “Together with our customers, we are establishing the conditions to achieve the increasing goals of digitalisation and productivity.”
Eplan, Rittal and German Edge Cloud will be presenting specific solutions for their customers along the entire value chain on 750 sqm of booth space in Hall 3, Booth 3-133, and in four different stages: Engineering, Sourcing, Manufacturing and Operations.
Engineering: simply more efficient
Eplan and Rittal offer high-quality product data, intelligent engineering software, design tools and cloud solutions, as well as value chain consulting to make planning processes in panel building and switchgear engineering much easier and more efficient. Eplan is presenting its Eplan Platform 2022, opening up a new era in engineering with increased efficiency and new user-friendliness. In addition, Eplan is presenting the full version of its eManage for sharing platform projects in a cloud-based, rapid and secure manner with partners, suppliers and clients, and for allowing collaboration across projects and locations with a new and clear added value.
Sourcing: simply faster
To simplify and accelerate the selection and procurement of system solutions in enclosure technology, Rittal is offering its customers digitised sourcing processes and tools like the new RiPanel Configurator, the Online Shop and a 24/48 delivery service within Germany. The key to accelerated processes lies in the globally unique, standardised “Rittal – The System.” platform, with enclosure, climate control and power distribution technology. Innovations include the VX SE free-standing enclosures, AX compact enclosures made of plastic, VX25 chillers and the VX25 Ri4Power system for accidental arcing protection (class A and B). Furthermore, Rittal is presenting application-oriented modular components to implement energy storage and charging infrastructure solutions. Customers can now use these to optimise their systems and bring them to market even faster.
The digital transformation for manufacturing: simply better
Eplan and Rittal are presenting coordinated products for automated production processes so that decision-makers in panel building and switchgear manufacturing can produce a growing number of product variants of continuously improving quality – more quickly and less expensively. The new RiPanel Processing Center production control system and automation solutions such as the Perforex MT 1101 milling centre, the Wire Terminal WT fully automated wire processing machine and the Smart Wiring digital wiring assistant ensure greater productivity. Services such as commissioning, maintenance operations and machine financing round off the portfolio.
Operations: simply more secure
Eplan, Rittal and German Edge offer cloud solutions from panel building and switchgear engineering to industrial manufacturing companies for the “Operations” sector. With Rittal’s ePocket, a cloud-based, digital wiring plan pocket, Eplan and Rittal provide a home for equipment and system documentation, including a digital twin, which now makes paper documentation obsolete. Planning data from enclosures can thus be accessed even faster, and the data is always up-to-date. Moreover, with future tracking options, operators, planners, switchgear manufacturers, and maintenance staff can permanently stay in contact with each other and take part in business in new ways.
German Edge Cloud offers intelligent edge and cloud solutions for maximum transparency and digitalisation benefits in production. By analysing production data, processes can be efficiently controlled and optimised while increasing the OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness). The solutions are also data-sovereign and thus secure when networking with other companies via clouds. The Rittal plant in Haiger is proof of the IIoT pioneering work. Furthermore, for example, companies can seamlessly track components even better and faster using Track&Trace solutions from German Edge Cloud.
Demands for systems, sustainability and energy efficiency
Based on consistent data, Rittal Service supports its customers in meeting the growing demands for system availability, sustainability and energy efficiency – from enclosure climate control to the secure operation of data centres.
Rittal’s RiMatrix Next Generation offers a future-proof, modular infrastructure solution for data centres of all sizes and requirements as the backbone of all IT applications.
Plastics specialist LKH is a further exhibitor on the stand. The company, which also belongs to the Friedhelm Loh Group, will be presenting its expertise in designing plastic components and functional integration using the example of an ongoing project in the renewable energy sector.
