"Automation technologies are the basis for a more flexible, more productive, safer and more sustainable industry and are therefore an essential key to the transition to a climate-neutral and more sustainable society," said Rainer Brehm, Chairman of the ZVEI Automation Association, at the ZVEI press conference. However, in order to drive the transformation of the industry forward, we need to work together, Brehm continued. Because: "We can only achieve this with holistic solutions for an automated industry across company boundaries."

Binding standards for data models and platforms are a key prerequisite for the transformation towards climate neutrality and sustainability. The Manufacturing-X initiative aims to help develop these. "Data spaces will be the backbone for the networking of industries. They will make production sustainable, resilient and competitive," says Brehm. In a joint study with the VDMA in the middle of this year, the trade association had already shown how such a data room could be designed. Interested trade fair visitors can see for themselves at the ZVEI stand how data can be exchanged with networked systems: The ZVEI showcase PCF@ControlCabinet and the Nameplate software demonstrator will show how the digital twin is implemented in the form of the Asset Administration Shell.

Automation a global growth market

The global automation market continues to grow. Since 2010, it has recorded average annual growth of 6%. In 2022, the market in Europe grew by 20%, in America by 18% and the Asian market (including China) by 60%. As an export nation, Germany benefited from this trend: total exports of German automation were up 11.8% year-on-year in the first eight months of the current year. Exports to the USA increased by 27.3%, to the EU by 13.7% and to the rest of Europe by 11.6%. Deliveries to China, which accounted for 14% of exports, fell by 1.6% in the period from January to August 2023.

German automation sales amounted to €47.6 billion from January to September 2023 (+11.6% year-on-year). Price-adjusted production in Germany only increased by 4.8% in the same period. Incoming orders fell by 5.1%. Companies are currently working off their order backlog. Due to the decline in incoming orders, a further slowdown is expected for 2023 as a whole. "Since the middle of the year, we have seen a significant decline in incoming orders and an increasing gap between incoming orders and turnover. This means that automation is adapting to the economic situation in its customer industries," says Brehm.

A forecast for 2024 is difficult. However, Brehm emphasized that megatrends such as sustainability and digitalization are a "tailwind for automation".

The ZVEI at the SPS 2023: Hall 3, Stand 331