A window to sustainable production
EMO Hannover showing companies how to get themselves fit for the future
EMO Hannover showing companies how to get themselves fit for the future
Pushing forward electromobility, significantly reducing energy consumption in factories, rethinking production in general: industry has its work cut out if it is serious about making a success of the sustainability transformation. The earlier that business owners tackle these issues, the better. EMO Hannover from September 18 to 23 will be offering plenty of suggestions and assistance from those who have already set out along the road to creating a sustainable future.
Reflecting the importance of the topic and the political developments surrounding it, the VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association), which represents the industry’s interests and is the organizer of the EMO Hannover, has given top priority to sustainability as one of the three main themes of the world’s leading trade fair. This can be seen in the Future of Sustainability in Production Area, for example.
“The special stand is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of sustainability in industrial production,” reports Martin Beck of ETA-Solutions GmbH based in Bensheim near Darmstadt, an engineering and consulting company specializing in efficient energy systems for industry. “It bundles innovative technology solutions for machine tools, machining centers and tools. Related peripherals as well as Industry 4.0 innovations such as edge and cloud solutions will also be on display. A number of best practices will be highlighted, too.” It was Beck and his colleagues who came up with the idea of the special stand. On its own stand, the TU Darmstadt spin-off will be presenting approaches for industrial energy system planning, and inviting interested parties to assess the value of these in their own plants. Meetings can also be arranged in advance via the homepage.
A number of large corporations are taking part in the EMO special stand. “We are participating in the Sustainability in Production Area because we know how urgent it is for industry to address the issue of sustainability. Each and every company is called upon to do its part,” emphasizes Thomas Bader, Head of Marketing Motion Control at Siemens AG, Erlangen. “There are numerous solutions that are already enabling us to make the transformation, such as machine tool digital twins based on our Sinumerik One control system. We are keen to show this to our customers from all over the world at EMO Hannover.
The special stand will feature existing solutions but also be opening a window onto the future of production. The WGP (German Academic Association for Production Technology) will be presenting its latest research results and its efficiency initiative. The association of 72 leading researchers in the sector has spent the last few decades working on sustainable solutions for production. In the early summer of 2022, the energy crisis prompted them to launch the WGP Efficiency Initiative. It provides numerous measures, including some which are easy to implement, with the aim of helping companies save energy in an unbureaucratic way. “At EMO Hannover, we will be explaining our novel approach to the automated disassembly of electric motors for the recovery of critical materials and components,” says Alexander Puchta, Group Leader in the German Academic Association for Production Technology (wbk) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). “The industry and transport sectors are among the top contributors to carbon emissions. That’s why I’m so pleased that EMO Hannover has picked up on this irreversible trend in its Sustainability in Production Area.”
Of course, the joint stand also includes a forum where exhibitors can set out their best practices, experts present the results of their work, and politicians hold discussions with researchers and practitioners. There promises to be a lively debate on the reporting requirements for Scope 3 emissions in Tuesday’s Hot Seat format. These are the emissions that are relevant for corporate supply chains. Thursday is set aside for e-mobility, and there will be a block devoted to providing interesting insights into circular business models. A visit to the Future of Sustainability in Production Area is therefore certain to be time well spent.
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Figure 1: Martin Beck, ETA-Solutions GmbH, Source: ETA-Solutions GmbH
Picture 3: Thomas Bader, Vice President Marketing, Siemens AG, Source: Siemens AG
