Parma for three days will be all about “digtal”

In a few days’ time SPS IPC Drives Italia, scheduled on May 22nd-24th, will open its doors: among the innovations, the enlargement of the trade fair grounds with
an area dedicated to Digital Transformation and a new hall called Digital District

by Silvia Foglio

When the Italian manufacturing industry began to move its first steps in the direction of Industry 4.0, there was the need of a place where to discuss the theme of technologies, their use and their capability of bringing innovation to both products and processes. Now, the competence in this domain can count on a new element: experience. Following this line, Messe Frankfurt Italia is relaunching the Know how 4.0 area within SPS IPC Drives Italia, the trade show dedicated to automation and digital solutions for the industry, scheduled in Parma on May 22nd-24th. In this 2018 edition the area fits into a new section which enlarges the trade show location, the Digital Transformation journey, thereby becoming a container for different experiences and case histories, to enable the visitor to understand the potential and the state of Industry 4.0 in our country. At the same time this area proves to be the platform where new ideas may be launched and suggested, as from this year even thanks to technology enablers.

From robots to mechatronics: a division based on theme areas
This year the Know how 4.0 area will present solutions divided by themes. The first will be Robot&Co, dedicated to the main technologies of traditional and collaborative robotics. But there will be more: persons, machines and processes will cooperate by means of data analysis, artificial intelligence and vision system experiences. The area then goes on to deal with automation and mechatronics solutions which, when connected, may interact with the digital world solutions. This is where the link to the Digital District will be found: this new hall will be dedicated to the approach of the IT and OT worlds. The visitor will be able to test first-hand installations of real cases present on the market, demos created by means of cooperation between digital players and automation operators focused on digital technologies, cyber security, software, cloud and IIOT, along with an arena for debates regarding the upcoming technologies. Finally, a daily appointment called “Cyber Hour” will increase visitors’ awareness of information security.

Technological innovation, made in Italy
The 4.It project, created in partnership with AIdAM (the Italian Association of Mechatronic Automation) intends increasing the possibilities of exhibiting Know how 4.0 by showing an increasing amount of technological integration solutions, enhancing those implemented by Italian companies. The project’s strength is the involvement of complex mechatronic system manufacturers, who design new forms of integration with digital technologies for the supply of evolved services. The mechatronic solutions presented will show the integration between automation, motion control, measurement and vision systems, but even advanced simulation systems, analytics and big data, which put together give rise to solutions capable of inspiring new processes and new treatments.