The trade fair in Nuremberg is ready to start

SPS IPC Drives 2018, point of reference for smart and digital automation, on 27 – 29 November will showcase the best of technology in 17 pavilions, two of which are dedicated to software and IT in manufacturing

by Massimo Brozan

On 27 – 29 November, Nuremberg will open its doors to host automation players: some 1,700 providers from all over the world are expected at SPS IPC Drives 2018, which is ready to start. The 29th edition, the exhibition for smart and digital automation will put on display products, solutions as well as trend-setting technologies of the future, showcasing a unique market overview. Among the this year novelties, the enlargement of the exhibition space to 17 pavilions.

Two pavilions dedicated to the new digital era
As in the previous year, Industry 4.0 and digital change are topics of focus at the German trade fair. Exhibitors will present not only their solutions, but also various products and example applications for digital transformation. This will be accompanied by topic-related showcases and presentations at the exhibition forums. The IT and automation industries are increasingly merging. This process is also reflected in the hall occupation at SPS IPC Drives: the topic of software and IT in manufacturing will be on display in Halls 5 and 6. Industrial web services, virtual product development and design, digital business platforms, IT/OT technologies, fog/edge and cloud computing, and many other topics will be covered here.
Cybersecurity is also being addressed by numerous vendors, who will offer explanatory demonstrations at their booths of how companies can protect themselves against online attacks. To tie in with the development of these topics, the exhibition will stage its first hackathon under the banner of “Digital Ideas for Smart Automation”. The event is intended to enable participants to jointly develop useful and creative software products for the automation industry. The results will be presented, and the award ceremony held on the first day of the exhibition. Following last year’s success, there will again be guided tours on IT security in automation, smart production, and smart connectivity in 2018.

Joint booths, summit, podium discussions and forums
Other joint booths Attendees will be dedicated to specific topics: “Automation meets IT”, Hall 6; “MES goes automation”, Hall 6; “Wireless in automation”, Hall 5; “AMA Center for Sensors and Measurement”, Hall 4A. In addition, the forums to be held by the German industry associations VDMA (Hall 5) and ZVEI (Hall 6) will offer topic-specific presentations and podium discussions. In addition, this year’s Automation 4.0 Summit will once again complement the exhibition program on the first two days of the event and address topics from the Industry 4.0 space. Here are the titles: “Edge computing in industry – possibilities and limits”, “TSN and OPC UA in industrial environments”, “IoT platforms in industry” and “Sensors for Industry 4.0”. l