Welcome to our exclusive interview with Wolfgang Sperling and Helmut Deichert from Festo. Wolfgang Sperling, Senior Vice President and Head of the Business Unit Electric Automation at Festo, brings decades of experience in mechatronic systems and automation technology. Helmut Deichert, Head of Product Line Controls at Festo, is a seasoned expert in industrial automation and control systems. Together, they provide invaluable insights into the dynamic landscape of industrial automation and the strategic partnerships that are driving innovation and efficiency. This interview is about Next-Gen automation with Openness & seamless connectivity.
Festo, a global leader in automation technology, is renowned for its cutting-edge solutions in pneumatic and electric automation. The company has a rich history of innovation and collaboration, making it a trusted partner in the industry. Recently, Festo has partnered with PLCnext Technology. This partnership aims to leverage the strengths of both companies to push the boundaries of industrial automation.
Join us as Sperling and Deichert speak about the importance of open ecosystems and seamless connectivity in enhancing customer experiences and driving innovation through strategic partnerships.
Come with us as we delve into the insights and experiences that shape Festo’s approach to collaboration and technology.
Strength in Unity:Collaborative Success in Automation
Intro: Mr. Sperling and Deichert, thank you for your time and sitting down with us.
Deichert: Thank you for having us.
Q1: Let’s get straight into it:
Partnerships in industrial automation have evolved significantly. Can you give us your perspective on this?
“We want to offer the best value to our customers by focussing on our core competencies and collaborating with the best specialists in their fields.”
Sperling: Industrial Automation has evolved from an electronic to a digital technology and the fields of Information Technology (IT) and Operations on the shopfloor are growing together. While it is as important as ever to offer competitive automation products our customers are looking for seamless connectivity – “from the workpiece to the cloud” as we say at Festo. There is the need to provide comprehensive solutions to automate a complete machine. This requires the combination of many specialized technologies and applications especially in software which no automation supplier can provide on his own. We want to offer the best value to our customers by focussing on our core competencies and collaborating with the best specialists in their fields.
Deichert: For many years the automation industry was very fragmented, leaving the integrators and machine builders with the challenge to build a running system from separate components of different vendors. The growing importance of software brings new requirements, but also new opportunities for collaboration. We believe that we are stronger in a partnership, where more than one party contributes.
Driving Innovation Through Strategic Partnership
Q2: Festo and PLCnext Technology have jointly announced a strategic partnership. Festo will utilize PLCnext Technology in future intelligent devices. This collaboration aims to harness the innovative capabilities of both companies and elevate industrial automation to new heights. Could you share more about the driving factors behind this decision?
“We applied many criteria like real-time behaviour, openness, compatibility with cloud technologies like docker-container or future orientation. PLCnext Technology has convinced us both technically but also from the people behind it.”
Sperling: One of the driving factors for the partnership was the idea of an open ecosystem, where not only the partners but also external developers can easily contribute. This will lead to more available options, a broader offering and finally to more innovation.
Festo has deep know-how in embedded software for smart connected devices and many years of experience in the use of Linux based systems. Even if we could have developed a platform like PLCnext Technology ourselves, it would have taken a huge effort and many years of development to realize something that already exists in a proven solution. That’s why last year we started a rigorous selection process to evaluate available open platforms for automation. We applied many criteria like real-time behaviour, openness, compatibility with cloud technologies like docker-container or future orientation. PLCnext Technology has convinced us both technically but also from the people behind it.
Enhancing Customer Experiences with Open Architecture
Q3: PLCnext Technology is based on an open architecture, allowing for customized solutions and seamless integration of existing systems. How do you see this openness and flexibility enhancing customer experiences?
“With an open architecture, you can have both: software from different suppliers but also seamless connectivity. This opens new opportunities for customers, providing a much broader solution space to choose from.”
Deichert: One of the biggest pain points for customers in industrial automation is caused by incompatible systems from different vendors. It leads to long developments times and to systems that are very specific and hard to maintain. With an open architecture, you can have both: software from different suppliers but also seamless connectivity. This opens new opportunities for customers, providing a much broader solution space to choose from. At the same time, it reduces integration effort and time for development and testing. In the end, it leads to lower risk not just during the initial development, but also during the life cycle of an application.
Aligning Efforts for Collaborative Success
Q4: With regard to the partnership – can you give us an insight into how the collaboration works?
Deichert: In the joint development, we work in an agile team setup with clear ownership for the relevant topics. Between the companies, there are aligned work packages, deliveries, and test procedures. Progress is monitored in regular sprint demonstrations where the actual work result is shown to internal and external stakeholders. Of course, there is a regular alignment on management level as well, and regular workshops about requirements of the future.
“The collaboration is characterized by openness and shared ambitions.”
Sperling: The collaboration is characterized by openness and shared ambitions. It is very pleasing to see the progress we are making together, and we are looking forward to showcasing our first product on the SPS show in Nuremberg.
A New Chapter: Festo AX Control and Future Plans
Q5: Looking to the future – what are the plans for the upcoming time regarding the collaboration?
Deichert: The fist important milestone is the launch of the Festo AX Control based on PLCnext at the SPS show in November 2024 in Nuremberg. It is an Edge Device that will serve both as a control system and an IoT system.
At the same time, we discuss with developers about further applications in the PLCnext Store. With a rising number of partner firms, the PLCnext Store becomes more and more attractive, so we expect that we will see and increasing number of applications from third parties in the months to come. Of course, there will be also Software applications from Festo which will be offered through the PLCnext Store.
Sperling: The new generation product family Festo AX Control marks a new chapter for Festo. With this we offer a seamless automation package uniting all our pneumatic and electric components and combining them with control technology and the broad universe of software solutions like Festo AX Industrial Intelligence.
Outro
Thank you, Wolfgang and Helmut, for sharing your insights on the evolving landscape of industrial automation and the strategic partnerships that drive innovation. It’s clear that collaboration and open ecosystems are key to advancing technology and enhancing customer experiences. As Festo and PLCnext Technology continue to innovate and expand their collaborative efforts, the future of industrial automation looks promising.
The launch of the Festo AX Control is just the beginning of a series of advancements aimed at enhancing connectivity, flexibility, and efficiency in automation systems.
We look forward to seeing the continued success of Festo and PLCnext Technology.
