How data spaces are helping industry forge ahead

Challenges such as the energy crisis, the transition to an All Electric Society and the need to protect our climate all call for radical measures. There is pressure to change everywhere we look, including – and especially – in industry. So, which solutions are making the transformation possible? The latest issue of “be top” – the Friedhelm Loh Group company magazine – showcases the successful steps Rittal, Eplan, Cideon, German Edge Cloud, Stahlo and LKH customers are taking, especially when it comes to processes and process optimisation.

Herborn/Monheim/Gräfelfing/Limburg, 13 November 2023 – The economic situation, climate change, energy shortfalls and the skills shortage – there are many reasons why improving efficiency and productivity are top priorities within the manufacturing industry. The most powerful lever it has at its disposal is digitalisation and automation. The Friedhelm Loh Group company magazine provides examples of exactly how this can be achieved, focusing on some of its customers and partners – from Enercon and WAGO to ThyssenKrupp.

In the interview for the magazine’s cover story, Sebastian Seitz, CEO of Eplan and Cideon, explains why standardisation and data spaces are such an important part of the transformation, how smart production and the energy transition are linked and how industrial companies can thus become enablers for their customers. After all, factory bosses need to optimise and digitalise – including with a view to potentially managing their production in line with the availability and price of energy as part of the energy transition. The example of the Rittal Smart Factory in Haiger and the companies of the Friedhelm Loh Group working together under one roof shows how data spaces can be created and linked together with exactly this aim in mind.

A look at Catena-X – a European, internationally active ecosystem for the entire supply chain in the automotive sector – clearly demonstrates that data spaces are no mere theory, but instead a very practical requirement. “It realises its benefits when the data space is really brought to life as an ecosystem. We make it easy for SMEs to access it,” explains Bernd Kremer, COO Digital Industrial Solutions at German Edge Cloud. He is referring here to the ONCITE Digital Production System, which is already in use in the Rittal Smart Factory in Haiger and was the first solution to be certified by Catena-X.

Transformation – shaping the energy transition

Infrastructure for the energy transition needs to be built up quickly and efficiently. This is why Enercon, Germany’s biggest manufacturer of wind turbines, is using the cloud-based Eplan Platform to design its electrical engineering equipment. This platform facilitates cross-site, multi-user engineering and is even helping Enercon onboard new skilled workers efficiently.

Another article in the magazine explains a smarter way of supplying electricity to sockets. For the energy transition to be successful, a majority of the 600,000 distribution transformers in towns and villages across Germany need to be made smart. The components used need to be available in large quantities and, most importantly, must be suitable for rapid expansion and fast delivery. WAGO and Schaltanlagenbau GmbH H. Westermann therefore use standardised AX enclosures from Rittal for the series production of their complete systems.

Digitalisation – efficiency for the entire industry

The magazine also presents the world’s first “Rittal + Eplan Application Center Partnership” with Alexander Bürkle and explains how this is designed to drive forward the transformation of the industry. In the new Alexander Bürkle production centre, customers can experience for themselves the efficiency benefits that can be achieved in the workflow along the entire value chain by combining hardware from Rittal and software from Eplan. In an interview, Klemens Isenmann and Thomas Basler from Alexander Bürkle explain why their company regards this form of collaboration and openness between industrial companies as groundbreaking.

Nationales Automuseum offers technical training

Another of the magazine’s articles is about Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection – a museum exhibiting rare cars and automotive technology from all decades that is also sparking enthusiasm for technology and training. When the museum officially opened in the summer, it met with a great media response and attracted crowds of visitors. However, it isn’t just car lovers who are cutting a path to Dietzhölztal in Central Hesse – students are now making their way there, too, because the museum is becoming a university campus.

Other topics in this issue include:

• “Seeing the big picture”: LKH optimises components for Kaco – little tweaks with a big impact
• “Smart innovation”: New fan-and-filter units enhance safety, security and efficiency in enclosures
• “New software tool”: New design tool RiTherm for climate control
• “Boosting efficiency”: HD Hyundai Global Service opts for standardised plant engineering
• “On track with safety”: Hermos Systems puts its trust in certified AX plastic enclosures in rail tunnels
• “Accessories that save time”: The AX compact enclosure offers ingenious solutions
• “Ecosystem in focus”: Industrial partnerships create intelligent and innovative processes
• “A complete overview”: Eplan Smart Mounting makes enclosure manufacturing even simpler
• “When standard is best”: Elbe Kliniken decide on a Rittal data centre
• “Home smart home”: 3D building twin with Cideon
• “Better project planning”: The new Eplan Platform 2024 offers design engineers ideal support
• “New rules of play”: How can companies deal with more and more new regulations?
• “Planning instead of guesswork”: Eplan Harness proD helps improve the planning of enclosure wiring
• “Cool configuration”: Teledoor benefits from fully automated production thanks to Cideon Conify
• “The standard gives you wings”: Interview: What actually is Eplan Engineering Standard?
Corporate Communications

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