"Products of the year 2024"
These are your winners!
We put 96 products in twelve categories to your vote in December, and now the winners have been chosen! The trophies were presented at a 'Winner's Dinner' at the Seehaus in Munich. These are your "Products of the Year 2024"!
Here they are: The winners of the Computer&Automation readers' choice "Products of the Year 2024"!
© Julia Bergmeister Photography / Computer&AutomationOn March 21, the winners of the "Products of the Year 2024" readers' poll were honored at the "Winner's Dinner" at the Seehaus restaurant in Munich's English Garden. The readers' choice reflects your opinion and your need for special solutions for your production. It allows us to draw conclusions about trends and is therefore also a signpost for us as to where the automation industry is heading.
This year's partner of the "Winner's Dinner" was SPS - Smart Production Solutions.
For the past four years, we have been offering you a choice of eight products in each of twelve categories. These include products whose scope of performance is very focused on a specific application area or whose simplicity is tailored to a general but very specific problem. Such niche products prevailed against the competition in three categories and were among the top three - "The user determines the product" is more than just a marketing phrase.
The trend towards more (hardware) independence can be seen in the "Control & Regulation" and "Operation & Monitoring" categories. The virtual control systems and hybrid approaches are as convincing as modular software solutions - interoperability and flexibility from manufacturers pays off.
For the first time this year, an IT company was represented in the "Software & IT" category with a solution for linking IT and OT environments and was voted among the top 3 - proof for us that the convergence of OT and IT is becoming more and more a reality.
But now to the results: Just under 9000 valid questionnaires, 6122 of which were fully completed forms, were evaluated. Now your winners have been chosen: we present your "Products of the Year 2024"!
The winners of the "Products of the Year 2024" readers' poll
The winners of the 'Drive Technology' category Stefan Schneider (Lenord+Bauer) and Christopher Kleinert (Beckhoff) with Andrea Gillhuber (Computer&Automation).
© Julia Bergmeister Photography / Computer&AutomationDrive technology - The winners
In the 'Drive Technology' category, products with very specific fields of application came out on top.
The award-winning solutions cover a broad spectrum that reflects the versatility and efficiency of modern drive technology.
Operate & observe - The winners
The winners in the 'Operating & Monitoring' category (from left): Oliver Vogel (Rockwell Automation), Stefan Niermann (Inosoft), Christian Maier (Eplan) with Andrea Gillhuber (Computer&Automation).
© Julia Bergmeister Photography / Computer&AutomationSoftware came out on top this year: Hardware Independence is the winner from the 'Operating & Monitoring' category in general. The readers not only honored the technological advances in software development, but also the importance of growing flexible solutions without having to compromise on functionality and performance.
Image processing - The winners
Julian Häusler (Cognex, left) and Antonio De Angel Gutierrez (ifm) with Andrea Gillhuber (Computer&Automation).
© Julia Bergmeister Photography / Computer&AutomationThe winning products in the "Image processing" category enable the monitoring of 3D zones and logistics processes and allow mobile robots to be free in production.
You can also see all the award winners in the video of the award ceremony.
Electromechanics - The winners
Simplicity and flexibility won over the readers of Computer&Automation in the 'Electromechanics' category.
"ready to use" was not only the appropriate motto for this category. Read for yourself.
Embedded Computing & IPC - The winners
The winners of the 'Embedded Computing & IPC' category (from left): Stefan Lorenz (Beckhoff), Christoph Müller and Tobias Lehmeier (NXTGN Solutions), Ekkehard Krebs (Kunbus).
© Julia Bergmeister Photography / Computer&AutomationA 'classic', a 'scene product' and a 'pragmatic approach' convinced the readers of Computer&Automation in the 'Embedded Computing & IPC' category.
Overall, these three winners reflect the different needs of readers in the field of embedded computing & IPC. They show that there is not just one best solution.
Communication & networking - The winners
The winners of the ' Communication & Networking ' category (from left): Thomas Rönitzsch from Bihl+Wiedemann and Dimitri Philliope from BE.services with Andrea Gillhuber (Computer&Automation).
© Julia Bergmeister Photography / Computer&AutomationTSN, fast data migration and muting are among the key features of the winning products in the "Communication & Networking" category.
These features help to significantly improve the efficiency and flexibility of communication systems.
The winners of the "Products of the Year 2024" readers' poll - Part 2
The winners in the 'Measurement Technology' category: Wolfgang Ziehers (Kistler), Martin Eppinger and Dominik Auth (Jumo) and Jessica Genz (Vahle)
© Julia Bergmeister Photography / Computer&AutomationMeasurement technology - The winners
The winners in the 'Measurement technology' category could not be more different: a handheld device for force measurement, a current collector system and a pressure transducer impressed the readers.
With which properties:
Robotics & Handling - The winners
The winners in the "Robotics & Handling" category: Alexander Mühlens, igus; Bob Bierbooms and Nils Tielen, Bosch Rexroth and Kathrin Lay and Volker Ott from Häwa.
© Julia Bergmeister Photography / Computer&AutomationThey ensure the fast and safe handling of components and get them reliably from A to B: the winning products in the "Robotics & Handling" category, which are the driving force behind increasing efficiency and optimizing costs in a wide range of industries, from automated production lines to state-of-the-art warehouses.
Safety & Security - The winners
The winners in the Safety & Security category: Javier Carnicero and Lisa Schulz
from Euchner, Cathrin Kröll from Pilz, Lars Jaeger and Laurent Liou from Moxa.
In theory, protection against unauthorized access can be assigned to all winners in the "Safety & Security" category as a declared goal. In practice, however, they could not be more different.
What features were the individual solutions sure to impress with?
Sensors - The winners
The winners in the sensor technology category: Holger Thissen and Silvio Sprenger
from Baumer with Theresa Donner from Sick.
Detect objects at 80 meters? Developed according to the IEC 62443-4-2 cybersecurity standard? Thinner than a bar of chocolate? No problem for the winners in the sensor technology category.
But their performance doesn't stop there. Read for yourself and get to know their features.
Software & IT - The winners
The winners of the Software & IT category (from left): Anja Pfirrmann (Paessler), Alisa Koch and Heike Sippel (Balluff), Daniel Kirch and Klaus Albers (Turck).
© Julia Bergmeister Photography / Computer&AutomationFor the first time, an IT company has been voted among the top 3 in the "Software & IT" category. This is an indication that OT and IT are truly growing together.
The traditional separation between these two areas is becoming increasingly blurred as companies realize that the integration of OT and IT is necessary to meet the ever-increasing demands
Taxes & rules - The winners
The winners in the Taxes & Regulations category: Roland Wagner and Andreas Kehrer
from Codesys, Dr. rer. nat. Tobias Schüle from Siemens, Alexandros Matsikis and Freddy Heinzelmann from SEW-Eurodrive.
The winning products in the 'Control & Regulation' category are proof of a paradigm shift in control technology.
The readers' recognition as winners is not only a confirmation, but also a celebration of their influence on the future of control technology.
Watch the video to see the award winners live and in color.
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