Intelligence in production

The EMO Hannover 2013, the world of metalworking, will be held from 16 to 21 September. The motto of this globally prestigious trade fair is "Intelligence in Production".

Exhibitors from all over the world will be spotlighting their solutions for the challenges of an internationally focused industry in the 21st century.

In a globalised economy, "Intelligence in Production" offers an option for meeting the requirements of the customers concerned at an enormous spectrum of different production locations. At the world's biggest international platform for production technology, the EMO Hannover, these intelligent solutions will be on show. "Our customers are facing major challenges worldwide", says Dr. Wilfried Sch?fer, Executive Director of the EMO organiser VDW (German Machine Tool Builders' Association) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. In the face of enormous pressure on costs, plus exceptionally tough requirements for efficiency and minimised environmental impact, production operations will have to be maximally cost-effective in the future as well. "Production experts from all over the world are seeking answers to these challenges, which is why they are looking forward with keen anticipation to the EMO Hannover 2013", adds Sch?fer.

Vendors who help their customers to flourish on the global market can score heavily. "Intelligence in Production" is the key to this.

Partner on the global market

In the past 20 years, international machine tool consumption has risen by 70 per cent. More than half of the world's production output of machine tools is exported. From Europe alone comes one machine in two, delivered to more than 70 different countries.

This opens up major opportunities for the vendors of production technology who respond appropriately to regional idiosyncrasies and customers' wishes, and are able to intelligently organise their capabilities for disparate markets. Harnessing technical expertise, comprehensive technological know-how and superlative process competence to meet customers' wishes worldwide, this is the task and one that usually entails severe pressure on costs and from competitors for the company.

"Customers want can-do partners on the global market", says Sch?fer. This means that the appropriate technical capabilities must be complemented by a global presence and responsive reachability, dependable customer support worldwide, and a comprehensive range of services, all the way through to local production. At the EMO Hannover 2013, around 2,000 firms from all over the world will be showcasing their corporate capabilities as partners for their customers on the global market.

Innovation for production facilities worldwide

Efficiency, quality, flexibility and availability constitute the foundations for any company's success, irrespective of where its production operations are located. Minimal cost advantages are crucial in determining whether an order will be placed or not. And these are achieved by means of intelligent production technology.

The principal focus here throughout is to improve machinery concepts, control technology and software, tools and processes. With a continuous stream of innovations in all fields, the functionality of intelligent production systems is being constantly upgraded. Current customer requirements like changing batch sizes, an infinite number of different product variants, new materials, requirements for sustainability in production operations and much, much more constitute additional drivers for innovations. In order to handle these complex jobs, the demand for communication capabilities is rising. "Intelligence in Production" accordingly ensures that modern-day production systems are integrated into a company's entire IT world.

How this functions smoothly, and what innovations aNIKE SB