Automation An Industry in Digital Transformation

Related Vendors

FAULHABER Drive Systems

Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders' Association (TMBA)

Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

Away from the focus on individual components and toward fully integrated, data-driven complete solutions: With this focus, the SPS 2025 reflects the current transformation of the automation industry.

The SPS calls – and over 1,150 exhibitors from around the world respond: This once again confirms the event's role as a globally leading trade fair for smart and digital automation. Visitors thus have the opportunity to gain a comprehensive overview of the current technological and strategic developments in the industry.

This year's focus of the trade fair already indicates that the trend in automation is moving towards fully integrated, data-driven complete solutions. At the center of this trend is the ability for horizontal and vertical end-to-end data integration as well as the convergence of IT and OT. Many exhibiting companies consider this the decisive lever for making the concept of Smart Manufacturing a reality.

Artificial Intelligence Wherever You Look

The central innovation focus of SPS 2025: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an indispensable necessity for companies to reduce costs and manage complex processes. At the same time, this technology offers an opportunity to mitigate the effects of demographic change. Given these advantages, leading providers like Siemens are further advancing the use of AI-powered systems under the slogan "automation of automation."

The focus lies on two dimensions: first, the immediately applicable generative AI (GenAI), presented as "Industrial Copilots." These are trained on deep industrial expertise and assist engineers by simplifying repetitive programming tasks and supporting complex diagnostics. Second, the long-term development towards Agentic AI, which enables fully autonomous workflows and aims to elevate productivity to new levels.

Support for Experienced Engineers

Artificial intelligence is already being incorporated into numerous industrial processes today: from predictive maintenance and quality assurance to adaptive production control. To lower the entry barriers to this complex technology, companies like ABB are presenting solutions designed to facilitate the entry into AI. For example, the AI-based Crealizer Assistant supports less experienced engineers in creating applications. The strategic significance of this development lies in shifting the benefit of AI from mere operational optimization to accelerating and simplifying the development and planning phase.

The Smart Factory is regarded by the vast majority of manufacturers as the main driver of competitiveness in the coming years, with a focus on targeted investments in core technologies and data analytics. A key role in this is attributed to the digital twin (DT). The DT is not only presented as a replica of the plant but as an indispensable tool for digital predecision-making and virtual commissioning. This capability is intended to minimize planning risks and significantly reduce time-to-market. Approaches such as virtual control systems (Virtual DCS, virtual PLCs), pursued by Siemens, demonstrate the potential for scalability and flexibility, which, according to Siemens, would be difficult to achieve with traditional architectures.

Cybersecurity Comes First

The required real-time capability of processes relies on advanced communication solutions. Edge computing is a fundamental prerequisite for local data intelligence directly at the machine, as it reduces latency and supports autonomous decision-making in manufacturing. One crucial point must be considered: the deep IT/OT integration makes cybersecurity an absolute necessity. The solutions presented at SPS address both regulatory requirements, such as CRA compliance, as well as securing cloud connectivity and decentralized communication structures.

The use of AI and Industry 4.0 solutions requires a flexible, reconfigurable physical foundation. One approach to achieving this is shifting control intelligence into the field. Concepts of cabinet-free automation – such as the decentralized IP67 I/O solutions with multiprotocol Ethernet introduced by Turck, or Beckhoff's MX-System – reduce structural costs and allow for significantly faster reconfiguration of production lines, which is expected to greatly enhance scalability. The trend toward collaborative robots (Cobots) also remains strong, as they bring flexibility to manual workstations and intensify human-machine collaboration in assembly.

It Won't Work Without Infrastructural Innovations

SPS 2025 demonstrates that the future of automation lies in the secure and data-driven orchestration of systems. These trends form an integrated ecosystem: artificial intelligence and the digital twin act as an overarching intelligence layer that controls flexible, modular hardware (MTP, Cobots, decentralized I/O). This flexibility must necessarily go hand in hand with infrastructural innovations – particularly in energy management and the migration to efficient DC networks – to achieve both economic and ecological competitive advantages. The speed at which companies implement this convergence while managing cybersecurity risks will determine their success in the next phase of industrial transformation. (jv)