Who will win? These three companies are nominated for the Hermes Award

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FAULHABER Drive Systems

Igus, Schaeffler, and Siemens have now been officially shortlisted by the jury for the Hermes Award, which will be presented at the upcoming Hannover Messe.

Under the leadership of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, an independent jury composed of distinguished figures from politics, business, research, and media, has nominated Igus, Schaeffler, and Siemens (listed in alphabetical order) for the next Hermes Award. The Hermes Award is one of the world's most prestigious industrial prizes and is awarded annually at the Hannover Messe for an outstanding innovation. The award recognizes products and developments with an exceptionally high degree of technological innovation. Market readiness and economic viability are additional criteria that play an important role in the awarding of the prize. Here, the jury presents why the three companies have made it.

Igus made it with Mobile Shore Power Outlet (i-MSPO)

The nominated Igus product is an innovation in shore power supply for ports. The system offers a mobile and flexible solution by positioning sockets for ships along a berth up to a distance of 400 meters (approx. 1312 ft) exactly where they are needed, as stated. The power cables are routed in a roller-supported energy chain specifically designed for long distances and heavy loads. This protects the cables from wear and tear and avoids tripping hazards. The system has both ecological and economic advantages, the jury notes. This includes reducing harmful emissions in ports as diesel generators are not needed. At the same time, the durable, maintenance-friendly system helps reduce operating costs and maximize economic benefits for port operators.

Schaeffler impressed with the XZU rolling bearing

The nominated product is a 2-row angular needle bearing that has the same connection dimensions as the cross roller bearings available on the market. This makes it easily interchangeable one-to-one. The arrangement of very small cylinder-shaped rolling elements in the bearing increases tilt stiffness by 30 percent. At the same time, friction resistance is reduced by 20 percent, and tracking accuracy is increased by 40 percent. This results in direct effects on efficiency and productivity. Ultimately, energy consumption per component is reduced. The market offers diverse application possibilities for this new rolling bearing. It is of high benefit, for example, in robotics or for assembly automation and in machine tools.

AI-supported Industrial Copilots are the innovation from Siemens

This nominated idea involves Industrial Copilots, which increase workforce efficiency by eliminating repetitive tasks and enhancing productivity, as the jury explains. With the Industrial Copilot for the Siemens Engineering Framework TIA Portal, which has more than 120,000 users worldwide, engineers of all experience levels are enabled to generate precise, trustworthy code much faster, it continues. Siemens offers an industrial-grade suite of Industrial Copilots that comprehensively covers the industrial value chain. This ranges from design and planning to engineering, operation, and service. This makes generative artificial intelligence more easily accessible for many companies. Both cloud and on-premises versions are offered, operating locally on the shop floor to meet different requirements.

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