Big data are the nuggets of the future VEM technical trade conference on drive technology brings together experts from 15 countries in Wernigerode/Germany
Industry 4.0 is also set to change the world of drive technology, opening up new opportunities and paths for producers and users alike. This was the conclusion reached last Wednesday at the 15th Technical Day of the VEM Group.
223 participants from 15 countries took up the invitation of the electrical motor manufacturer to attend the two-day event in Wernigerode on 18 and 19 October 2016. The town in the foothills of the Harz Mountains is also one of the three sites of the VEM Group in Germany.
In presentations and discussions the attendees discussed what the drive systems of the future will look like, with the motor a decisive component. Industry 4.0 is not sorcery, was the conclusion drawn, and can also be mastered by small and medium-sized companies. Decisive here is placing the focus for both products and production processes on the data and the intelligent interlinking of this, creating added value for all concerned. "Big data are the nuggets of the future," said Prof. Dr. Michael Schenk, Director of the Fraunhofer-Institut für Fabrikbetrieb und -automatisierung IFF, in his presentation.
Experts have yet to agree on whether the intelligence of future drive technology will be found in the drive itself, in the controls or in a cloud. The 16th Technical Day of VEM in Wernigerode on 10 and 11 October 2017 will provide a platform for further animated discussion of this subject.