The omens for the event, which takes place every two years, could not be better: With around 1.8 million industrial robots, the number of robots in the world's factories has reached a new record. Another figure from the World Robotics Report 2017 published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR): with an average robot density of 74 units per 10,000 employees (2015: 66 units), the global average in the manufacturing industry is at a new high. In an international comparison, Europe leads the way with 99 units, followed by America with 84 and Asia with 63 units. With 309 units, Germany ranks third behind South Korea (631) and Singapore (488) in the ranking of the most automated countries in the world.

There is no question that the "robot colleague" will play a central role in the manufacturing concepts of Industry 4.0. However, employees are clearly concerned about their own training in order to keep up with the pace of the world of work 4.0. This is the conclusion of the 'Automatica Trend Index 2018', for which a market research institute conducted a representative survey of 7,000 employees in the USA, Asia and Europe on behalf of the trade fair. Broken down according to school grades, the level of maturity in training and further education for the digital workplace of the future has so far fallen well short of employees' expectations: not even one in four rate their own employer's current offering as good or very good! Yet companies can certainly count on a positive attitude from their employees when it comes to robotics and automation. As many as 70% of those surveyed believe that in the working world of the future, human-robot teams will improve production by combining human talent with the strengths of robotics.

Visitors to Automatica 2018 will be able to experience how humans and machines will interact in the future, how they will communicate with each other and how ergonomic and versatile the workplaces of the future will be at many stands - including the special show "Humans in the Smart Factory" organized by the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association in Hall B4 (Stand 338).

The supporting program of Automatica 2018

The top topics at Automatica 2018 include: Digital transformation in manufacturing, human-robot collaboration, Work 4.0, service robotics, cloud and big data applications, predictive maintenance and investments in robotics and automation. Visitors can obtain focused information at the following forums and special shows:

IT2Industry

IT2Industry is the integrated themed area of Automatica that serves the interface between automation and IT. In a combination of lecture program and exhibition, more than 50 exhibitors from both the classic IT sectors and specialist providers from the industrial environment will be presenting themselves.

The focus will be on ERP and MES solutions for optimizing production and logistics processes, modular software solutions for predictive maintenance, cloud and big data applications for the manufacturing industry as well as security options for the trouble-free operation of networked industrial plants. The IT2Industry Forum also offers exhibitor presentations, keynote speeches and exciting discussion panels on Industry 4.0, IoT and artificial intelligence. Location: Hall B4, Stand 216

A special trade fair highlight in the IT2Industry area is the appearance of the OPC Foundation. Together with partners, the provider of the widely used OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) standard will be presenting the latest solutions for manufacturer-independent communication in automation technology. For the second time, the OPC Day Europe conference will take place on June 22 as part of the trade fair.

Smart Maintenance Pavilion

The networking of systems, products and processes is growing inexorably and with it the demands on maintenance. Because one thing is certain: without smart maintenance, the optimum availability of automated production systems cannot be guaranteed. That's why the Smart Maintenance Pavilion is an important platform for dialog, and not just for maintenance experts: Hall B4, Stand 222

Professional service robotics

Service robots will soon be an integral part of our everyday lives. automatica supports this trend in the Professional Service Robotics exhibition area. Market-ready products such as components, systems and technologies will be presented.

Robots can be experienced live in action in the service robotics shows at the associated demo park. In addition to mobile robots, classic stationary industrial solutions will also be shown as examples of functioning human-robot collaborations. Location: Hall B4, Stand 421.

Automatica Forum

The specialist presentations at the Automatica Forum highlight current topics relating to digitalization, artificial intelligence, human-robot collaboration and Work 4.0. The experts' presentations are application-oriented and provide interesting insights into the production processes of well-known industrial companies. The forum will take place daily from the 19th to the 22nd. Venue: Hall A5, Stand 135

Industry 4.0 demonstrators

Two showcases turn the buzzword Industry 4.0 into reality. With the OPC UA demonstrator, the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association is presenting a future-proof approach for standardized and manufacturer-independent data exchange. The aim is to make the potential of OPC UA tangible using two specific use cases.

Control use case: A system is shown on which fidget spinners - a commodity consisting of several individual parts - are assembled live on site. More than 20 component manufacturers, system integrators and software specialists are involved in this use case, integrating a rotary indexing table, axes and grippers as well as image processing systems and robots.

Condition monitoring use case: Several robot manufacturers will show how condition monitoring can be implemented on a cloud basis, regardless of the manufacturer and robot type. Here, visitors can see all relevant condition data in real time on a dashboard. Location: Hall B4, Stand 332

The 'smart4i Next Generation Demonstrator', initiated and promoted by the VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association (VDMA NuV), also offers the opportunity to interactively learn more about the production of the future. It is possible to individually configure a small model car via a cloud landing page. Both the body and add-ons can be parameterized. The customized vehicle will then be manufactured live at the trade fair in the form of an integration of real and virtual production stations. Location: Hall B4, Stand 218

Special show "Platforms and ecosystems"

Digitalization is generating completely new business models. The basis for this are platforms and ecosystems, i.e. innovation partnerships between companies that jointly drive forward new developments in order to secure and expand their competitive advantage. A special show with lectures and a presentation area will use models and prototypes to explain how the technical and economic potential of the IoT can be realized in companies in concrete terms.location: Hall B4, Stand 300

Start-up Arena

Innovative thinking goes business: In the 'Start-up Arena by Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCB)', around 30 newcomers from robotics and automation will find implementation know-how for innovation concepts, investors will find exciting investment opportunities and industry representatives will find promising candidates for technical partnerships. The aim: to develop ideas to market maturity and break new ground in automation and Industry 4.0. Elevator pitches (daily from 11:00 to 12:00) will show who has the greatest potential. The winner among the top 5 start-ups will be determined live on site on June 21 at 15:00. Location: Hall B4, Stand 328

Automatica Makeathon

From idea to implementation in 30 hours: The automatica Makeathon - in cooperation with ITQ and Conrad Electronic - is aimed at young professionals and students from the fields of software engineering, mechatronics and mechanics. Around 120 participants will develop software and hardware prototypes for the fields of robotics, Internet of Things and automation in collaborative teams on June 21 and 22. Venue: Hall B4, Stand 232

International Symposium on Robotics (ISR)

The 50th edition of the "International Symposium on Robotics" under the auspices of the IFR (International Federation of Robotics) will feature over 100 presentations on the latest robotics technologies and topics. The fee-based symposium will take place on 20 and 21 June 2018 in the Press Center at the East Entrance.