Magazine of the Friedhelm Loh Group
Issue 01 | 2016
Issue 01 | 2016
Magazine of the Friedhelm Loh Group
Expertise Data – A vital part of the value chain Experience Plastics – Delicate yet resilient alternatives to metal Commitment Jumpers Gera: Integration into society
Focus on Switchgear manufacturing
Visionary Pioneers
Editorial
Pioneering spirit in digitisation
Dear readers, When entrepreneurs leave memorable marks and serve as role models, it is usually because responsibility, clear values, boldness and goal-oriented action are key underpinning of their work. My father Rudolf Loh was and remains such a role model for me. Ignoring advice from the industry, he produced the first series production enclosure and was rewarded with success for taking this leap of faith. There are many entrepreneurs among our customers who think outside the box, lead the way, break conventions and dare to do more than others. They are pioneers in switchgear manufacturing and automation who recognised the challenges and opportunities of Industry 4.0 early on. Industry 4.0 is a key topic whenever the discussion turns to the future of industrial manufacturing. The names, concepts, standards and advances of value chain digitisation and of the networking of production may vary at the national or international level. However, one thing is beyond dispute: data is the driver of these developments. Its role continues to gain in importance, and it has long since become just as important as the actual product – a fact demonstrated by the seven million downloads of CAD files for our Rittal products last year. Manufacturers of machines, control systems and switchgear devices require the greatest possible range of data formats in excellent quality. Providing these for design, planning, documentation and commercial processing is thus paramount for the companies of the Friedhelm Loh Group.
Dr Friedhelm Loh Owner and CEO of the Friedhelm Loh Group
With the increasing volumes of data, the need for new data centres is also on the rise. Because the construction of these centres is becoming more industrialised, companies can now establish their own IT infrastructure even more quickly and easily than ever before. Modular and preconfigured solutions from Rittal – including turnkey-ready cloud computing centres in containers – offer high scalability, quick commissioning, clearly calculable costs, security and energy efficiency. With these solutions we are focusing not only on the development of this continual digitisation, but also – and first and foremost – on our customers’ needs. I hope you enjoy reading the magazine and find inspiration within its pages! Sincerely,
Dr Friedhelm Loh
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72 Working with youth
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Cover story: Visionary pioneers
Container data centres
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Equal partners
Interview with Professor Dieter Wegener
Contents
Cover stories
Experience
16 Visionary pioneers
52 The new high-flyers
Three visionary switchgear and automation specialists provide insights into how they became pioneers in the areas of development, standardisation and automation.
Container data centres are currently trending because they’re scalable, quickly operational and turnkey-deliverable. And moving them from point A to point B is possible in record time.
26 Digitisation as top priority
56 Sophisticated changeover
Professor Dieter Wegener, spokesperson for the Industry 4.0 management team at the ZVEI (German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association), discusses global standards, security and the role that Industry 4.0 will play in the future.
On the path to building a machine in line with the principle of building blocks, Wintersteiger, a special machine builder in Austria, counts on Eplan Experience.
60 Equal partners Stahlo and Allgaier manufacture components for BMW that combine complex geometries, stability and minimal weight.
64 Speedy reckoning
The F.L.G. Cosmos
At what point is it worthwhile to purchase new cooling units? Rittal’s energy-efficiency and total-cost-of-ownership calculator can help in deciding.
12 Honouring a hard worker
66 Attention to detail in a powerhouse
Technische Universität (TU) Chemnitz, Germany, awarded entrepreneur Friedhelm Loh an honorary doctorate.
Using modern injection moulding technology, LKH produces delicate design elements and robust chassis components alike.
Expertise
Commitment
32 Growing appetite for data
72 Leap into life
Data plays a central role in industrial manufacturing and is as important as the actual product.
In Gera, Germany, children and teens learn by example about appreciation and respect for others from Jumpers’ staff. Your
36 Enclosures in just minutes The Rittal Configuration System makes it easier to order small enclosures. Aside from saving time, it also increases quality and accuracy.
Standards
38 “A fine company”
03 Editorial
US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel were impressed by the innovative power of the Friedhelm Loh Group at the Hannover Messe.
06 Snapshots
44 Initiating paradigm changes
14 Around the world
opin ion matt ers!
Do yo u have questi tions, ons, s praise ugges or criti the cu cism a rrent is bout sue? S imply the ed mail itorial team betop at: @fried helm-l ohgroup .com
30 Magazine: Stress-free trade fair
Bruce Rodewald, President Eplan Americas, discusses the features and challenges of the American market.
50 Magazine: Happy birthday
46 A cloud in a container
78 Top performances – be top!
It has never been so easy to put together data centres with modular and predefined containerised solutions.
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SNAPSHOTS
A GREAT CATCH
On average, each German citizen eats around 14 kilograms of fish annually. A well-functioning cooling system and uninterrupted cold chain are vital in ensuring that fish is always served fresh. Breakdowns and interruptions endanger the product’s freshness and also result in enormous costs. Neutron Factory Works in Canada is a specialist in maintaining these special cooling systems. Its employees work around the clock to resolve potential problem areas and malfunctions on industrial fishing vessels – both at home
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and abroad. To help make this service even more efficient for its customers, the company has been relying on Eplan Electric P8 since 2014. With this software tool, Neutron Factory Works is able to produce urgently needed documentation and plans at a rate that is around 200 per cent faster. In an industry where speed counts, this capability is an important competitive advantage. Link tip: www.neutronfactoryworks.com
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SNAPSHOTS
Need some cooling?
When the mercury soars above 30 degrees Celsius, both humans and animals seek to cool down. Such temperatures are often the norm during the summer months in India, and technology suffers under the extreme heat as much as living organisms do. For this reason, an international automaker in the state of Gujarat in India depends on cooling systems from Rittal. The company also uses Rittal Therm software to calculate the optimal cooling for enclosures.
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EVERYTHING SHIPSHAPE
Every detail counts when manufacturing very large, high-precision components, tools and moulds – regardless of whether they are used for planes, wind turbines or ships. After all, the safety of hundreds of passengers may be on the line. To avoid catastrophic mistakes, to save time and to increase productivity, the engineering experts at Janicki Industries in the United States have been counting on Eplan Electric P8 since 2014. The company also uses Eplan Data Portal for its comprehensive data management. Link tip: www.janicki.com
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SNAPSHOTS
Mirror, mirror, on the wall …
Solar energy’s share of the energy mix is growing worldwide, which means the demand for mirrors for use in thermal solar power facilities is also rising. In order to conduct all the power that is being generated by the sun, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics (IAF) in Freiburg, Germany, has developed a new test station for semiconductors that relies on IT infrastructure from Rittal. For flexibility when testing with a variety of measuring instruments, the front of the IT rack must remain open and door-
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less. Hence the solution realised for IAF consists of a doorless TS IT rack with a modular front side. Cooling the instruments also proved to be challenging because the test station runs 24 hours a day. To meet this challenge, the renowned research facility decided for Rittal’s Liquid Cooling Package. Because this cooling solution is extremely quiet and efficient, employees aren’t disturbed during their daily work. Link tip: www.iaf.fraunhofer.de/en.html
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The F.L.G. Cosmos
H on ours f or D r F ri e dhelm Loh
Honouring a Hard Worker Accolades. Technische Universität (TU) Chemnitz, Germany, has awarded business leader Friedhelm Loh an honorary doctorate. The speakers paid tribute to him by describing the secrets of his success. Guest contributor: Christoph Irion, Managing Director of Christlicher Medienverbund KEP e. V.
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miling modestly, Friedhelm Loh walks down the long flat steps in the lecture hall’s centre aisle, accompanied by his wife, Debora. The formally dressed guests in Seminar Building N on TU Chemnitz’s campus have risen to their feet. The Lohs sit down in the front row next to university representatives and the speakers who will pay tribute to Friedhelm Loh. The chamber orchestra of the Robert Schumann Philharmonic of Chemnitz strikes the first notes of Joseph Haydn’s 92nd Symphony to begin the ceremony. The composition in G major is popularly known as the Oxford Symphony because it allegedly was performed when Haydn received an honorary doctorate at Oxford University. Today, on 21 March 2016, people have gathered for the same reason, but now it is Friedhelm Loh who will be honoured to the music of Haydn. The Mechanical Engineering Department of TU Chemnitz is presenting Rittal’s CEO with the title of “Honorary Doctor of Engineering” in recognition of his “contributions to research and technology.” The musical performance is followed by speeches. Although their registers and emphases differ, a fascinating composition emerges, a kind of rhetorical synthesis. One thing becomes clear: Friedhelm Loh truly is an exemplary business leader. Under his management, Rittal – a mediumsized family-owned business – has grown into a world market leader. According to Professor Andreas Schubert, Acting Rector
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of TU Chemnitz, a crucial factor in Rittal’s success is that it is shaping various industries and sectors with innovations and ideas. In addition, the company promotes “the exchange of knowledge between research and technology.” One indication of such contributions is the professorship in systems technology and switching modules which Loh endowed in Chemnitz. The strains of other leitmotifs are heard. Searching for the secrets of Friedhelm Loh’s success, the speakers emphasise different facets of his personality. Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft President Professor Reimund Neugebauer explains that Loh is a “master at using available time productively.” His success is based on creative curiosity, on hard, productive work, on his passion as a businessman and on his insistence on doing without what others take for granted. “Ora et labora” For Professor Stephan Holthaus, Rector of the Giessen School of Theology, an important role is played by the Loh family’s credo, adopted from the Benedictine Order: “Ora et labora” (pray and work). Holthaus recounts how in a meeting of esteemed executives, Friedhelm Loh once introduced himself modestly as a “hard worker” – and it is this man who is receiving accolades today. According to Klaus Helmrich, member of the Siemens Management Board, Loh has never wasted energy on trying to find the lowest common denomi-
nator; minimal solutions are not his thing. Curiosity, diligence and a straightforward manner are his distinguishing attributes as a businessman. All of the speakers remark that what one notices above all are his social commitment, Christian worldview and sense of responsibility. On stage David Laux, who is hosting the event, conjures a black gown with a blue collar. Dressed in the academic cap with tassel, Loh feels not only pride, but also “slightly embarrassed,” and takes a moment to thank his parents, who served as role models and taught him Christian values. But the “architect of Industry 4.0,” as others have referred to him this evening, also utters words of warning, pointing to digitisation’s dangers. “My conception of God is based on a broad liberal individualism,” he says. Society must ensure that the vast quantity of data does not lead to a dangerous servitude for human beings. The last notes of the symphony fade. On the way out the door, a young violinist remarks, “Now that was an exciting evening. Research and technology took on tangible human form here.” n
CELEBRATION The chamber orchestra of the Robert Schumann Philharmonic of Chemnitz accompanied the ceremony. Dr Loh’s wife, Debora, is at his side.
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DISTINCTION Friedhelm Loh receiving an honorary doctorate from Professor Andreas Schubert (left), Acting Rector of TU Chemnitz, and Professor Thomas Lampke, Vice Dean for Research, International Affairs and Equality at the Mechanical Engineering Department.
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Arou nd t he Wo rld
Faster – Better – Everywhere Global Player. The Friedhelm Loh Group has a presence around the world with 78 subsidiaries. Ideas from Germany are in demand on every continent.
Canada
Full of energy Whether it’s transportation, the oil and natural gas sector or water management – nothing is possible without a stable energy supply. That is why 3 Phase Power Systems, based in Canada, specialises in energy conversion technology. And the company counts on Eplan Electric P8 and Eplan Pro Panel to do this. “The difference from our previous software is especially apparent in the time savings,” says Dwayne Donaldson, Senior Electrical Designer at 3 Phase Power Systems. “Nowadays we need just two weeks for many projects that used to take six.”
66 % USA
Parking is so passé! AutoParkIT, Inc. has constructed a fourstorey, state-of-the-art parking garage with two hundred spaces in Los Angeles, California. The garage automatically distributes the cars by using lifts and track systems to efficiently exploit the available spaces, and it takes just a few moments for owners to retrieve their vehicles. Rittal delivered TS 8 bayed enclosure systems and accessories to house the control technology. Indicon, the company that configured the enclosures, chose the TS 8 for its modular design.
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England
Megaproject for megacity The two railway tunnels beneath London that will be connecting the east and west sides of the metropolis are 21 kilometres long. Siemens Mobility is supplying trainsafety and monitoring systems for Europe’s largest infrastructure project. The company is relying on TS 8 bayed enclosure systems from Rittal, which are largely being specially modified at the Rittal factories in Plymouth and Hellaby.
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Germany
Lifted Whether on short-haul or long-haul routes, airplanes are one of the world’s most popular forms of transportation. To ensure that passengers always travel safely, aircraft must be serviced at regular intervals. Hydro Systems in Baden-Württemberg has developed special lifting systems for these servicing procedures. The company depends on Rittal products for the enclosures and consoles installed in these lifting systems. The internationally valid UL certification guarantees the products’ safety.
South Korea
“Miracle on the Han River”
Austria
Alpine cooling Alois Pöttinger Maschinenfabrik depends on a fullyequipped data centre from Rittal. Because the chillers are located outdoors, they cool for half the year by utilising the ambient temperature. Modern systems allow rack cooling at 24 degrees Celsius.
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The enormous economic growth seen in South Korea since 1960, in particular close to the Han River, is often referred to as the “Miracle on the Han River.” Companies such as ZEUS, one of the global market leaders in the area of semiconductors and LCD equipment for the past forty years, represent some of the country’s greatest potential. In order to always remain a step ahead of their competition, ZEUS has decided to begin using Eplan software. With it, the company will be able to standardise its wiring plans across all departments and divisions. The result: fewer errors, improved working processes and considerably shorter design and planning phases.
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Cover Story
P i on e e rs
Pioneers take roads untravelled Visionaries. Mediocrity is out of the question for switchgear and automation experts Hans Fleischmann, Ishida Shigeki and Walter Althaus. These three pioneers from Germany, Japan and Switzerland provide insights into how they became pioneers in software development, standardisation and automation. Text: Elke Bieber
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good working environment, openness, freedom to develop – creativity thrives at the F.EE group of companies because of this winning foundation. Hans Fleischmann, now 57 years old, laid the company’s cornerstone in Neunburg vorm Wald, Bavaria, in 1982. Back then, enclosure manufacturing was the young company’s main business. But because Fleischmann was interested in offering customised solutions for automation and software, he consistently pushed the company to branch out. Today F.EE is known as a full-range supplier for control-systems and energy-technology projects as well as for industrial IT systems. “The icing on the cake,” Hans Fleischmann explains, “is our IT + Systems business unit.” F.EE operates in the world of databases, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and manufacturing execution systems (MES), and deals with connecting machine controls to superordinate control and production systems. The company is also rightfully proud of its in-house vocational training. More than one-third of its employees have graduated from it, and today they work as specialists and leaders at this “hidden champion.” Inspiring customers With the cumulative experience of more than 35 years on the pulse of the industry, the F.EE team knows exactly what inspires customers. “In conversations with our project directors, engineers and technicians, and, ultimately, considering the product itself, customers realise that we’re experienced and stand behind our achievements,” Fleischmann says. The specialist company manufactures from a batch size of one to series production. At their main site, the group of companies has an enclosure manufacturing centre with 8,500 square metres of production area. Around 4,000 linear metres of enclosures are produced here year for year. To reconcile custom work with standardisation, top-quality work is essential. “A faux pas during operations is something that you cannot afford in our industry,” Fleischmann says. All procedures must run perfectly, including logistics, because: “Time pressures are highest at a build-
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The developer Nowadays F.EE founder Hans Fleischmann focuses on the four business fields of Electrotech Engineering, Automation Robotics, Information Technology and Systems, and Energy Technology. He and his team offer reliable solutions meeting the highest standards in all these areas. “The accumulated know-how of decades in tandem with the expert knowledge of our employees is our greatest capital,” he explains. “It allows us to create benchmarks.” Innovative software solutions – for instance the ERP software Factwork or the industrial software fe.screen – in combination with state-of-the-art automation technology makes the difference. “It sets us apart from the competition,” Fleischmann observes. F.EE employs more than nine hundred people at locations both nationally and internationally, including Leipzig (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Chattanooga (United States), Guadalajara (Mexico), Changchun (China) and Istanbul (Turkey).
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ing site during a project’s end phase. Whoever can meet a deadline, even when third parties have caused delays, has already completed the best preliminary work for winning the next contract.”
The standardiser Ishida Shigeki’s company Mikasa is headquartered in Aichi Prefecture on Honshu, Japan’s largest island. With just 25 employees, it designs and manufactures switchgear systems for machine builders, for customers in the steel industry and for the medical technology and semiconductor industries. Mikasa delivers customised control and switchgear systems along with documentation, and it does so quickly, inexpensively and consistently. The company’s distinguishing feature: comprehensive expertise in international standards and norms. With this expertise, Mikasa helps Japanese companies achieve success abroad, and also helps foreign firms, for which Japan’s unique electrotechnical requirements present an enormous market barrier. Companies know they can depend on Mikasa’s expertise.
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Transcending limits Having a peaceful mind. Practising letting go. Extinguishing the flames of anger. For Ishida Shigeki, President of Mikasa Electrician Department Company based in Japan, these practices are what make a visionary. The idea may sound like Zen Buddhism and meditation, but what is more likely to inspire new ideas in Ishida Shigeki, a wiry 44-year-old, are the adrenaline rushes of jogging and callisthenics. He also loves football, and enjoys occasionally attending a Bundesliga match in Germany, around 10,000 kilometres away as the crow flies. Borussia Dortmund versus Bayern Munich – why not? Transcending limits is simply part of everyday life for this open-minded globetrotter. If he were like other businessmen, then perhaps he would have been satisfied with the large domestic market for control systems and switchgear engineering. There are just fifteen such manufacturers in Japan that are certified according to the US standard UL 508 A – and Mikasa is one of them. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is the best-known American safety certification organisation. If enclosures and components don’t meet UL’s standards, the systems cannot be put on the market. Whether it’s the international IEC standard, the European EN norm or fire-safety standards of the National Fire Protection Association, Mikasa always keeps abreast of them. “Others say they can meet the standards, but we’re certified,” is Ishida Shigeki’s brief comment on the matter. It saves his customers additional verifications for their target markets and all sorts of additional trouble otherwise. Unsurprisingly, increasing numbers of globally active companies are turning to Mikasa for this reason. Mikasa’s expertise in international standards functions as a bridge from Japan to the rest of the world, which is why Mikasa has been counting on prod-
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ucts from Rittal and Eplan for years: they already meet the international standards. “And that applies to every last detail,” Ishida Shigeki says. “It’s good that our customers needn’t worry about that.” An El Dorado for innovators Mechanical and electrical engineer Walter Althaus can also become quite delighted by a new machine: “Much more than by a new car!” If someone has the courage to test a machine that automates something that allegedly cannot be automated, then it’s Walter Althaus, an expert in industrial automation based in Aarwangen, Switzerland. The company recently acquired an Averex wiring robot from Rittal Automation Systems. The patented machine head, which can rotate 270 degrees, is the instrument’s centrepiece. Among other things, it has at its command cable routing, cutting, stripping and crimping units. What electricians previously have had to do manually – for instance, connecting wires and fastening them to components – is something the robot can do around four times faster. The difference can amount to a time savings of fifteen hours per enclosure. “There’s a lot more that can be optimised in wiring; automation is only in its initial stages,” Walter Althaus says. He wants to take it beyond this initial stage, because waiting for others to do it is not his thing. His impression after the first weeks of testing: “This is the right approach.” Innovations in Switzerland are as necessary as air to breathe. The country is too expensive to be able to forgo gains in efficiency. The option of relocating his production to countries with lower labour costs is not something the company leader will consider: “What would happen to the employees? Should Switzerland deindustrialise?” He prefers to use every opportunity that this El Dorado for inventors and innovators offers: Switzerland defends its leading position on the Global Innovation Index year after year. The index assesses the innovative power of 141 countries according to various criteria such as institutions,
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The automator W. Althaus AG, headquartered in Aarwangen in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, was founded in 1968 and specialises in automation technology for machine building. It has more than one hundred employees and produces predominantly for Swiss clients – which for their part then export their products. In order to remain competitive in such an expensive location, Walter Althaus is advancing automation within his company. He is considering a market launch in the United States, which he sees under cost pressures, like other high-wage countries. “They aren’t as far along with automation in switchgear manufacturing; that creates potential,” he says.
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research and innovation results. “Switzerland has a superb education system,” Althaus says. He cooperates with colleges, invites students to be trainees for a year and makes it possible for apprentices to pursue a degree after concluding their training, thereby directing a continuous influx of knowledge to Althaus AG. The market as school of hard knocks Learning, co-developing, optimising – Hans Fleischmann is also very familiar with this world of business and research. Organisational forms, systems and tools that allow faster lead times and increase quality are always in demand at F.EE. The company wants to be a driver of optimal solutions, and to this end works with other movers and shakers in the value chain. F.EE’s warehouse management, the company’s ERP system Factwork and Eplan tools thus all access the same data. In cooperation with Eplan the company implemented an interface to Factwork in order to automate the transfer of parts lists. “It saves us a lot of time, we avoid mistakes, it makes us more efficient and it provides cost advantages,” he says, summing up the benefits. Moving forward, the company is planning to change its distribution of working steps, routing and assembly procedures for enclosure manufacturing. Anything that leads to simplification, time savings and a more economic use of personnel is welcome. Even for enclosure engineering itself: automation can bring greater speed, higher precision and additional flexibility. “We’re already working out the savings in time and costs,” Fleischmann says. Exceeding customer expectations appeals to the pioneer. He says that Industry 4.0 has long since arrived in switchgear engineering – long before the term became common parlance. “For us, innovations are very down to earth,” he says. “They have to function on the market. The hard knocks of that school are hard enough.” Technology, he adds, is his hobby; it inspires him and has a very practical side – not least for the business.
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A playful element is something that Ishida Shigeki also likes to combine with business: “The TS 8 is stylish – Japanese enclosures aren’t.” He is considering using it for Kuratas, a giant user-operated robot that measures four metres tall and long, and three metres wide. “It’s a toy,” Ishida Shigeki says, “just for parties.” The robot’s inventor, Kurata Kogoro from Suidobashy Heavy Industry, wants to soon send Kuratas into battle against MegaBots, its American rival, but the venue remains unclear. Ishida Shigeki began doing business with Kurata four years ago, when Ishida received an e-mail from him at two in the morning: Kurata was worried because something was wrong with his giant’s cabling. On the next day, everything was right again, and today all of the controls and electrics are from Mikasa. Exploiting creativity and its opportunities Ishida Shigeki cultivates a special corporate culture, and it’s not just because he wears dashing tweed jackets with elbow patches. Above all his employees shouldn’t conform to any pointless conventions – they just interfere on the pathway to excellence. It’s helpful that the boss is often travelling, as this encourages them to experiment. “I don’t pressure them at all,” Ishida Shigeki says. “They’re always thinking about new solutions and other things; they feel free.” Walter Althaus also sets great store in his employees and a good working environment: “The many young people ensure that we don’t become professionally blinkered,” he says. Now 51 years old, Althaus took over the business from his father, the company’s founder. Trade fairs, workshops, an employee suggestion scheme: it all stimulates creativity. What’s vital, however, is being able to exploit creativity and a boss
who is easy to talk to. “The best inspirational ideas come about when people are optimising their own workspace,” says Walter Althaus, who has observed this process at his own company, “and when they do it with conviction.” If five of ten ideas are viable, and one proves successful, he figures one needs a lot of suggestions. Process- and customer-oriented optimisation on a daily basis and investments in the technical foundation – both are required to position a company well in an exclusive location with fierce competition. For that reason Althaus began his cooperation with Eplan back in the 1980s. “It was a major advance,” he says, assessing the decision. “We’ve maintained very close contact with the companies of the Friedhelm Loh Group for a long time. We continue to rely on the newest developments in order to become more efficient.” For instance, to match their previously purchased and time-proven machines, the company developed the Athex automatic assembly machine for terminal blocks. Their previous cooperation partner Kiesling Maschinentechnik, now Rittal Automation Systems, integrated the Athex into its own programme and is marketing the machine globally. Setting your sights on a goal, applying yourself, expanding your horizons, taking risks – for Walter Althaus, a fan of the great outdoors, this is all par for the course. Asked about what he does in his leisure time, he casts his gaze to the view through the window: golf, mountain biking and, most especially, Alpine skiing. n
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Pioneering solutions A number of success factors unites these different technology pioneers from Germany, Japan and Switzerland: they are rigorously customer-oriented and deliver nothing but top quality, and they collaborate with customers and with selected partners in order to achieve this level of performance. To foster innovation they count on well-trained employees and an innovative working culture that tolerates mistakes. The experience of the three leaders shows that ample scope for creativity increases work satisfaction and strengthens employees’ loyalty to the company.
Self-development is key F.EE recognises customer demands or even anticipates them, which is why the company finds solutions to operative challenges in in-house developed software and matching automation technology. To minimise start-up difficulties and downtimes, hardware and software must work together perfectly. More important: tried-and-tested products can be much more flexibly adapted to customers’ new and highly specialised requirements.
An unconventional standardiser A company that wants to sell its products globally must adapt them to international norms and standards – and they must be guaranteed. Mikasa is a specialist in these complex materials and, as such, is in tremendous demand both domestically and abroad. Company owner Ishida Shigeki has an unstoppable curiosity for international practices and does not hesitate to leave familiar paths if they aren’t going anywhere. He also expects nonconformist thinking from his crew of employees.
Never use the word “impossible” The constant pressure to innovate for manufacturers in Switzerland is something that Walter Althaus AG has transformed into an advantage. To defend its competitive advantage against suppliers from countries with lower wages, it seizes on the numerous opportunities that automation supplies – and isn’t afraid to test technical solutions that are considered impossible. Through its boldness in utilising state-of-the-art technology, the company continues to set new benchmarks for the industry.
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Cover Story
P r of e ssor D i e t e r W e g e ner
Digitisation as top priority Interview. Everyone is talking about Industry 4.0: What’s its status, and what is ahead? Professor Dieter Wegener, spokesperson for the Industry 4.0 management team at the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI), on global standards, security and the risk in non-compliance. Interview conducted by Dr Jörg Lantzsch
There are few technology topics that currently dominate in the press as much as Industry 4.0. What is the status of its implementation in German industry? Professor Dieter Wegener: Industry 4.0 is a vision that may be realised by 2025 or 2030. At that point, Industry 4.0 will be visible and tangible in factories. However, the technologies that are leading to Industry 4.0 are already tangible and can already be seen at trade fairs such as the Hannover Messe and CeBIT. We are in the early stages, on the path to implementation. How do you assess Germany’s position in relation to other countries? Wegener: Industry 4.0 is part of the digitisation of the economy, which affects not only production and manufacturing, but also networked energy systems, networked mobility systems, networked buildings and even networked people – in terms of medical and health-related aspects. Germany has the edge in this area because Industry 4.0 was developed here. The concept behind Industry 4.0 involves digitising factories and production facilities by merging shop floors, where there is machinery and equipment, and office floors, where there are servers and software tools. In November, the Industrial Internet Consortium [IIC] and Platform Industry 4.0 agreed on a cooperation. In your opinion, what are its chances for success? Wegener: Although Industry 4.0 is an initiative created in Germany, it has global aspirations. As a rule, a product manufactured in Germany can be successful only if it can be exported. The IIC is the American concept for digitisation of the economy. Technically speaking, Industry 4.0 and the IIC are very similar. As has been seen,
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an initiative that is either purely American or purely German will fall short of the mark. The goal of this partnership between Platform Industry 4.0 and the IIC is to build bridges. RAMI 4.0 – the reference architecture model for Industry 4.0 – and the Industrial Internet Reference Architecture constitute the first steps towards standardisation. At what level does that need to happen? Wegener: Standardisation can occur only if there is agreement about the technology. We have already defined an Industry 4.0 component. This is a shop-floor product with an “administrative shell.” This software mirrors the digital image – that is, the simulation of the product. It is suitable for docking to the office floor. This is the point at which there is discussion with the IIC, because they want to know how to connect the Internet to the machine, whereas the ZVEI wants to know how to connect the machine to the Internet. It’s logical for us to discuss how to do that. And? Wegener: We do it using the administer ative shell and RAMI. RAMI 4.0 is a modelbased description of how to structure software in the management shell conceptually. To realise this, we launched an open source project – the openAAS [Asset Administration Shell] – in which several Industry 4.0 components are programmed as an example. How will the standardisation process proceed in detail? Wegener: Standardisation entails a distinction between two situations. The first involves a fully consensus-based standard, agreed upon by all parties. With such an agreement in place, the matter can be
submitted to the standards bodies; in Germany, that is DIN [German Institute for Standardization] and DKE [German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies]. In the second situation – consortium-based standardisation – several parties join forces to form a consortium. By its very nature, the IIC relies on consortium-based standards. Once an agreement has been reached, it will become evident whether there will be a fully consensus-based standard, that is, a norm, or a consortium-based standard. At present, this remains unclear. How important are standardised interfaces? Is it realistic to expect that they can be created in the heterogeneous world of industrial communication? Wegener: It would be naive to believe that only one interface will exist. The integration of shop floor and office floor will be different in each industry. There are already some standards in place. RAMI builds on international standards, some of which were developed as early as the 1980s and 1990s. We build on this foundation a bit further to include facets that we need for Industry 4.0.
About this interview Who? Professor Dieter Wegener is the spokesperson for the Industry 4.0 management team at the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI). What? As Director of External Cooperation at Siemens Corporate Technology, Wegener deals with Industry 4.0 at corporate and association levels. Where? be top interviewed Wegener at his office in Munich.
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Cover Story
P r of e ssor D i e t e r W e g e n er
In your observation, do some sectors have more catching up to do than others? Are they less competitive? Wegener: At the moment, I would not want to talk about specific sectors at all. Regardless of sector, industry should be generally concerned about extreme changes in existing business models as a result of digital value-added services – also known as smart services. Industry 4.0 will prepare us for that. By digitising the value chain, our products and our services, we can offer our customers added value. A number of CEOs have embraced digitisation, but it should become a top priority for all companies. Anyone who does not focus now on Industry 4.0 will be history in ten years. Industry 4.0 requires new ways of thinking and new processes. What is the role of technical disciplines? Wegener: I divide the factory into two areas: the shop floor, where machinery using contained automation technology is located; and the office floor, where servers run software tools that are more likely to reflect managerial and planning facets. Industry 4.0 merges these two areas. Mechanical and plant engineering companies and electrical industry companies operate on the shop floor, while ICT companies in Bitkom [German Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media] are working on the office floor. Another way to put it: to see shop-floor technology, you go to the Hannover Messe; to see office-floor technology, you go to CeBIT. These areas will become integrated.
“ Anyone who does not focus now on Industry 4.0 will be history in ten years.“ Professor Dieter Wegener, spokesperson for the Industry 4.0 management team at the ZVEI
So the interplay between the electrical industry and mechanical engineering is particularly important? Wegener: Automation technology is a very important part – the core, as it were – of
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mechanical and plant engineering. Cooperation between electrical industry companies and those in mechanical engineering is an important alliance that allows us to present homogeneous shop-floor technology. For the next step – coupling the shop floor to the office floor – we defined the Industry 4.0 component.
4.0. The group is also at work on the second facet: the development of smart products with analytical capabilities that can generate data autonomously. And to my knowledge it is also developing the third facet: digital services. As you can see, the Friedhelm Loh Group is working on all three facets of Industry 4.0.
The Friedhelm Loh Group and its companies Eplan, Cideon and Rittal rely on a high degree of consistency. How would you rate the commitment of the group of companies? Wegener: High and rising all the time. In my opinion, the Friedhelm Loh Group is a co-creator of Industry 4.0. It recognised the relevance of digitising the value chain, which is in fact the first facet of Industry
Do German small and medium-sized businesses run the risk of being unable to compete in an Industry 4.0 landscape? Wegener: Let me put it unequivocally: if digitisation is given no priority or ignored, companies – whether small or large – will suffer such severe consequences in about five to ten years that they will have to exit the marketplace or be forced out by new competitors.
Two drivers of Industry 4.0 Platform Industry 4.0 Since the 2013 Hannover Messe, Bitkom, VDMA and ZVEI – together representing more than six thousand member companies – have been working on a joint project in the form of a conceptual and thematic cooperation. With the addition of further players from companies, associations, trade unions, the scientific community and government, they are developing holistic concepts for implementing digitisation in industrial production in order to increase Germany’s competitiveness. Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) This international, open platform for companies and research institutes promotes and coordinates capabilities of the industrial Internet in all industries. Member activities include the development of applications and test beds in order to connect physical and digital worlds in industry.
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Why? Wegener: In the future, demands from customers and other influencers will become more and more complex and no longer manageable without a digitisation of the value chain. Furthermore, digitisation helps root out inefficiencies throughout the value chain and achieve major increases in productivity. To remain competitive, companies must learn to master this growing complexity and at the same time become more productive. Digitisation is the means to that end.
and industry secure. That brings us to a simple concept: the 3P principle, standing for people–process–product. Can you explain that in more detail? Wegener: Security and safety requirements must be incorporated into product design. Moreover, a company’s processes must be subject to security concerns. Employees are the main gateway to security breaches. Staff must be trained and sensitised to the risk of social engineering tricks, for example. You have to deal with it every day. Every person in an organisation has to internalise that. How will Industry 4.0 develop? Wegener: I always use trade fairs as a yardstick. In 2013, the office world was barely represented at the Hannover Messe. Conversely, the same was true at CeBIT for companies in the ZVEI and VDMA [German Engineering Federation]. Currently, both Trumpf and Kuka, for example, are present at CeBIT with a booth; Microsoft is at the Hannover Messe. I expect to see an increasing number of digital value chains, smart products and digital services at future trade fairs. The market economy will decide which players ultimately prevail. Thank you for this interview. n
An increase in digitisation creates new risks. What security measures are being implemented, and what still needs to be done? Wegener: Security and safety are important in industry. We must always ensure that a product is safe. We must also do everything to prevent external manipulation. The Internet per se should not be considered secure – we must do what it takes to make connections between the Internet
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Magazine
Stress-free trade fair Genuine exchange at the Eplan Virtual Fair
Successful premiere Even a virtual trade fair (top) cannot do without real experts. Eplan specialists spoke in front of the camera – and broadcast live in 55 countries (middle). Behind the scenes, the team had myriad technical discussions via chat (bottom).
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Flight tickets, overpriced hotel rooms, overflowing halls and long days. Being at a trade fair, no matter how successfully things go, often goes hand in hand with stress and high costs. Which is why Eplan introduced to its customers a completely new concept in engineering with the “virtual fair.” This event allowed them to share knowledge, to come into contact with experts and to hear important news about Eplan solutions without leaving the comfort of their own offices. Around five hundred visitors from 55 countries took advantage of the first online trade fair in the spring. Over the course of the twelve-hour live event, they were able to listen to exciting talks and see presentations in real time as well as visit the digital trade-fair booth. Despite the virtual nature of the event, no one had to forgo individual and personal contact. Customers were able to talk to Eplan experts through online
chats, and could make queries and get advice and further suggestions. Even top-level management representatives used this medium to talk directly with Eplan management. Attendees who wanted to engage in dialogue among themselves had a virtual lounge where they could do so – a unique opportunity for users from all around the world to interactively exchange ideas across national borders. People who missed the premiere but are interested in what went on can find recordings of the event’s numerous video talks on Eplan’s YouTube channel. Link tip: www.youtube.com/user/eplan
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With distinction! Second US award for Blue e+ In January 2016, the prestigious magazine Processing awarded the new Blue e+ generation of cooling units the title “Breakthrough Product.” The magazine wrote that the cooling unit “made significant contributions in the process industries in the last year and is expected to impact the industry for years to come.” Processing, an American industrial trade journal, gives these awards annually to the most important and promising products, technologies and services. With this win, Blue e+ has received yet another acknowledgement for the huge, money-saving gains in efficiency that the devices yield for their users. They run even more economically and score points on flexibility, safety and handling. Back in October 2015, the German-American Chamber of Commerce awarded the new generation of cooling units with its “Award for Excellence in Innovation” prize. Link tip: www.tinyurl.com/us-award
Easily Installed Rittal improves ISV distribution enclosures Distribution enclosures are central components of the electrical infrastructure in buildings, data centres and industrial plants, which is why Rittal is constantly looking to improve its distributor solutions. With the help of a new installation kit, the ISV distribution enclosure from the Ri4Power range can now be integrated even more easily and quickly into the TS 8 and SE 8 enclosure systems, as well as into the AE compact enclosure. Thanks to its smaller packaging dimensions, the installation kit can be stored and transported far more efficiently. The major advantage of the new Rittal ISV installation kit is the distributor framework’s removable support frame. It allows every device to be removed, which means that wiring can be easily and ergonomically performed outside the enclosure. To save costs, the support frame is composed of only those stays that are actually needed. Link tip: bit.ly/isvinstall
4.0
Making it possible Application consulting at LKH Can a plastic component in planning even be manufactured? Which material is best suited for it? Does it fulfil all of the requirements concerning stability and strength? These questions are often the first to emerge in projects involving plastics. LKH offers comprehensive application consulting by drawing on its expertise with materials, tools and machines in order to define the suitable plastic and the best manufacturing technique and to precisely meet all customer requirements. The services provided include mould flow, deformation analyses, finite element method (FEM) calculations, laser sintering and rapid tooling.
Focus on the future Networked Blue e+ cooling units Enclosure cooling devices from Rittal’s Blue e+ series will soon be able to transfer device information and parameters to superordinate systems, thereby establishing new opportunities for asset management, condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. Rittal demonstrated what is already possible with a specific implementation example at the Hannover Messe in cooperation with AXOOM, the new platform supplier for Industry 4.0 in the manufacturing world.
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Expertise
Data
Growing appetite for data Engineering. Industry 4.0 is dominating discussions about the future of industrial manufacturing. Even if the exact shape remains unclear, one thing is beyond dispute: data will play a central role and will be just as important as the actual product. Text: Dr Jörg Lantzsch and Hans-Robert Koch
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orking by hand on a drawing board is a thing of the past, long since replaced by computerised engineering. Likewise in management offices, on shop floors and in manufacturing, hardly anything is possible without digital information. Because these processes are increasingly being consolidated in line with Industry 4.0, and because manufacturing processes will become more and more automated in the future, data volumes are continuously on the rise. “Data is the engine behind everyday engineering for machine, control system and switchgear manufacturers,” says Uwe Scharf, Executive Vice President Product Management at Rittal. “It’s crucial for development, design, manufacturing and commissioning.” Consequently, product data must be available in a wide variety of different formats, including, for instance, design data for M-CAD and E-CAD systems, but also commercial data, which is extremely important for sourcing and logistics. A high degree of data integration and consistency is critical along the entire value chain, from design to commissioning, which is the only way that data can be seamlessly utilised throughout all steps of the process. Duplicating work in the form of data management is thus no longer necessary, meaning a significant increase in efficiency. Scharf highlights just how much the need for such data has increased: “Our customers called up parts data 1.2 million times from our websites last year,
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and downloaded more than 7 million CAD files – a clear indication of how important data is today.” At the beginning of development processes, many designers and engineers initially select the required components and systems. Previously, printed catalogues from suppliers were an indispensible instrument to this end. As digitalisation has progressed, the possibilities nowadays are more varied: catalogues are often only available in a digital format – for instance, as a PDF or other electronic format that includes ETIM or eCl@ss classifications (see sidebar). In addition, it is often possible to select and/or configure products directly on supplier websites. Rittal’s website features numerous configurators. Data for machine engineering Following the groundwork and the selection of the required components, the next step in the value chain is design. In machine building, this process often starts with mechanical engineering, whereas in control system and switchgear engineering, electrical engineering is the first focus. “Our challenge is to provide the data the customer requires when needed at each and every step in the process,” says Dirk Miller, Executive Vice President Marketing at Rittal. For mechanical engineering, the designer requires, for instance, from the supplier the mechanical design data of the sourced components and parts. The designer can then directly import this data
into his CAD software and use it. Rittal provides the mechanical design data for all deliverable components from its “Rittal – The System.” programme through its website. More than eighty different data formats are supported, so that a designer can use the data independent of whichever CAD system he is using. High-quality and continually validated, true-to-detail 3D and 2D data are available for professional design engineering. Through the web platform, which is quick and easy to find on Rittal’s website (www.rittal.com/us-en/content/en/support_1/support_3.jsp), designers can effortlessly dialogue with the interface, select the needed components and download the design data in a format compatible with their CAD system for direct use within their designs. Data for switchgear engineering For electrical engineering, which is completed first in control system and switchgear engineering, designers usually use an engineering solution such as Eplan Electric P8. Electrical engineers also require data for the components being used and this is the initial data relevant to the electrical design. Rittal provides this design data through Eplan Data Portal, managed by its affiliate Eplan. “Here users can find the design data for Rittal parts as well as for more than 600,000 components and over 1.2 million configurable peripherals from more than 130 leading device manufacturers,” says Stefan Domdey, Global
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million downloads were made of CAD and CAE files for Rittal components through the Rittal website and Eplan Data Portal last year. This is a clear indication of how important data is today. Whether for development, engineering or production, it is required in every step of the work process.
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Expertise
Data
Data classification
ETIM or eCl@ss? Digital communication between customers and suppliers is of great importance during the engineering process. The sender must provide the product data in such a way that the recipient can seamlessly further process it. This is where standardised classification systems come into play. Rittal relies on the widely accepted ETIM and eCl@ss standards, among others. The classifications are made up of categories, for instance “enclosure,” and the characteristics within them, for instance “colour.” Each category has its own definition and various predefined key terms. While the ETIM classification system is mainly limited to the electronics industry, the eCl@ss system is more widely used. It is especially adapted to the requirements of CAE software and delivers relevant data that can be directly used in electrical engineering processes.
Coordinator Eplan Data Portal. By providing neutral E-CAD/CAD formats, the data is made available for both Eplan users and users of other E-CAD/CAD systems. “After completing the electrotechnical design, when, for instance, all the components of an enclosure are wired on the monitor, Eplan Pro Panel can create a virtual, three-dimensional prototype of the enclosure,” says Eplan Product Manager Timm Hauschke. Naturally, the electrical engineering data is directly imported for this purpose. The electrical engineer can place all the necessary components in the virtual model within the enclosure. However this requires additional data, such as a component’s geometric dimensions. These and up to 200 additional attributes are stored in a so-called macro data in Eplan Data Portal. This can include logic data, 2D and 3D graphic macros, wiring plan macros, manufacturing information and accessories data. Demand for this data is also high, as the download figures from 2015 confirm: overall there were 600,000 downloads of Rittal products. Based on the information from the electrical engineering design and the virtual prototype, as the next step the data for manufacturing can be created. This includes wiring lists that can be used for manual assembly of cabling or to drive an automatic assembly machine. Data for the processing of flat parts is also generated directly from the existing data. This can occur with the Perforex BC machining centre from Rittal Automation Systems, which fully automatically drills, mills and thread-taps entire enclosures and flat parts such as doors, side panels and mounting plates.
ing and logistics, however, other types of data are required, with ordering numbers, prices, weights, etc., being the most relevant factors. For a smooth exchange of data between suppliers and customers, the classification of this type of data has proven valuable. Rittal supports the ETIM and eCl@ss classification systems (see sidebar) so that customers are also able to access this data no matter which classification scheme they use. “Industrial digitalisation is continuously advancing,” says Dirk Miller. “It particularly depends on very high-quality data. In machine and plant engineering, as well as in control system and switchgear engineering, great leaps in efficiency along the entire value chain can be achieved through greater digitalisation.” Yet a prerequisite for this is that the required data be available in high quality and fit for seamless use across all steps of the process. Whether for enclosures, climate control devices or small housings, Rittal provides its customers with various types of data for all deliverable components, which are then used for mechanical engineering, electrical design, manufacturing and for commercial processes. The company acts according to the motto: “A product is only complete when all the data for it is available.” n
Essential commercial data Along with the technical process steps for mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, creation of a virtual prototype and manufacturing, the commercial process is yet another significant part of the value chain. A high level of efficiency is also crucial in this area. Productivity increases are possible, for instance, if the parts lists from mechanical engineering and electrical engineering can be seamlessly transferred to the commercial systems. For costing, order-
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The data is served Eplan and Rittal make major efforts to provide customers with the data they need in the highest quality and in a variety of formats for all the steps along the value chain.
MCAD Through its website at www.rittal.com/ricad3d, Rittal provides CAD data for all of its products in more than eighty formats. All CAD data can be imported as native 2D/3D formats for all common CAD systems. Furthermore, Rittal supplies the data on the individual product pages of Rittal’s website and also in offline form: RiCAD-3D as a database with a reduced number of CAD formats.
Digital product selection Whether via configurators (www.rittal.com/configurators) – like the new Rittal Configuration System (see page 36) – the product finder, the online shop (www.rittal. de/shop) or digital catalogues in XML or PDF formats, Rittal simplifies the selection and assembly of individually configured standard solutions.
Ordering The data from the parts lists for Eplan Pro Panel users can be easily imported into ERP systems. It includes vital commercial information such as ordering numbers, prices and weights from the classification data. ECAD / MCAD At www.eplandataportal.com customers can find 2D and 3D data for all Rittal components as well as more than 600,000 components from more than 130 manufacturers. Up to 200 characteristics per component are stored in the macros. Standardised device data includes logic information, 2D and 3D graphic macros, wiring plan macros and data for manufacturing and accessories.
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Automation Data for processing flat parts and panels or cable assembly can also be automatically generated and automatically processed with solutions from Rittal Automation Systems.
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Expertise
S y st em c on figurat or
Enclosures in just minutes System configurator. Since late March, the Rittal Configuration System makes it easier to order small enclosures. One can select suitable components, place them within the enclosure and even prepare them for mechanical processing. Aside from saving time, it also increases quality and accuracy. Text: Rebecca Lorenz
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hether you’re looking for the perfect kitchen, putting together a photo album or choosing the right car, it’s never been easier than it is today to assemble your own dream product. In just a few clicks, thanks to an online configurator, you can select for colour and special features and even choose the ideal delivery date. Of course, what is a matter of course nowadays was hardly conceivable for many years. To select the right power windows, seat covers and tyre rims, customers had to flip through thick catalogues just a few years ago. And even today these heavy and unwieldy tomes remain all too dominant in ordering processes. This is no longer the case for Rittal. Since late March, the company’s home page includes the Rittal Configuration System, which already enables planning and design of small enclosures. “With it we want to make it easier for our customers to filter out valid combinations from the more than 3,000 accessory articles available and assemble the products they need,” says Bernd Lehnert, Vice President of R&D for
Electronics and Software at Rittal. The configurator’s functionality is based on a predefined set of rules. The wrong accessories or ones that cannot be used with the ordered enclosure are filtered out of search results. “In this way we ensure that users are only able to choose the accessories that are compatible with the product they’ve previously selected.” Simple and easy process Yet this planning tool does more than just facilitate the selection of individual products. “Using a 3D model, the chosen accessories can immediately be placed in the appropriate location,” says Lehnert, describing the process. “The space is then marked as allocated and cannot be used for other accessory components.” Once the necessary accessories have been selected, the configurator additionally factors in the needed knockouts and drilling holes so that the mechanical processing is included with the order. “Whether cut-outs, bolts or nuts – all possibilities for mechanical processing can be fac-
Planning tool So that customers keep an overview of the 3,000 accessory items, the Rittal Configuration System supports them in assembling the enclosure.
tored in and represented in the 3D model,” says Natascha Treml, Team Leader Product Management Enclosures at Rittal. A changeover to an alternative CAD programme isn’t necessary. Along with selection, placement and processing, ordering of the selected articles is integrated into the tool through the web shop. “Depending on assigned rights, we deliver either the series components or a customised enclosure to the customer. In the first case, the configurator also supplies the related CAD data, NC data and exact instructions for assembly,” Treml says. “This helps the assembler install the individual parts in the right spots, which further increases quality and helps prevent mistakes.” The greatest advantage of this new planning tool: customers no longer have to painstakingly describe what they need to their sales representative and then wait for the corresponding quote. In fact, the customer can construct the enclosure along with the accessories and via the Rittal Online Shop see at a glance how much the ordered item will cost. “At the moment, it takes about two days before a quote from Rittal reaches the customer,” Lehnert says. “If corrections or alternative accessories are required, the customer again must wait for the quote. If customers use the configurator themselves, they can try out different accessories and see how that changes the pricing, saving valuable time.” n
LINK TIP: The new Rittal Configuration System can be found at www.rittal.de/configuration-system
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Rapid configuration The Rittal Configuration System enables the visualisation of the enclosure in a 3D model. Beginning in autumn 2016, the configurator data can also be directly transferred into Eplan Pro Panel.
Door locks Locks are considered optional accessories. The configurator offers only matching components, thus avoiding ordering mistakes.
Wall mounting brackets The requested wall mounting brackets can be precisely placed on the enclosure.
Fan-and-filter unit The fan unit to cool the enclosure can be selected and the exact cut-out positioned on the enclosure.
Gland plate The necessary gland plate for cable entry can be individually selected and positioned in the right spot near the base.
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Base/plinth If needed, the configurator also allows for the selection of a base/plinth system.
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EXPERTISE
HA NNOVE R M E S S E
„ A fine company“ Hannover Messe. The trade fair got off to an intense start: US President Barack Obama was the first guest to visit Rittal’s trade fair booth – at the invitation of German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel. Smart products and intelligently networked value chain processes won over top leadership and also numerous other decision-makers from around the world. Text: Joscha Duhme
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Summit meeting German–American exchange: German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel, Dr Friedhelm Loh, owner and CEO of the Friedhelm Loh Group, US President Barack Obama and Gregg Holst, President at Rittal Corporation in the United States (left to right).
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EXPERTISE
HA NNOVE R M E S S E
Joint booth
The future is here For the second year in a row, Eplan, Rittal and Phoenix Contact presented smart and networked production of the future under the title “Smart Engineering and Production 4.0.” Using the example of an enclosure, the technology network showed at five stations how engineering data from an integrated, virtual product description can flow into the manufacturing process through standardised data exchange formats such as AutomationML. Dr Thomas Steffen, Rittal’s Managing Director Research and Development: “For more efficient industrial value chain processes, it is crucial to consistently standardise and network engineering processes with high-quality technical product data.”
Sustainability This year, Eplan, Rittal and Phoenix Contact delved even further into the topic of interfaces and data provision for manufacturing.
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he premiere guest could hardly have been more famous, and the preparations for his arrival were accordingly complex. US President Barack Obama was the first person to stop by Rittal’s trade fair booth at this year’s Hannover Messe – the booth was specially set up two days beforehand and scrupulously examined and secured by the Secret Service. The United States was the partner country for the industrial show for the first time ever. During the tour with German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel, who had invited the President, the eyes of the world’s most powerful leader lit up at all the hightech on display. “This is a fine company!” Obama said after Dr Friedhelm Loh, owner and CEO, had described the new Blue e+ cooling units and their energy efficiency, which is unparalleled the world over. Dr Loh added, “We’re number one for engineering software in Europe, and we’re going to keep growing.” But the two heads of state were also impressed with the company’s dedication to social issues. The chancellor was particularly pleased to hear about the company’s integration of refugees in vocational trainee programmes and its dedication to promoting talented young people. “Everyone is talking about Industry 4.0, but here we want people to be able to experience where this topic has become a reality in practice,” said Rittal’s Managing Director Sales and Marketing Hans Sondermann. “We’re showing which advances have been made in networking manufacturing processes over the past months.” And these advances are considerable. In Hall 11, under the motto “Our expertise – Your benefit.” Rittal presented smart products for industrial networking, solutions to accelerate
value chain processes and services with significant added value. The range of products presented was considerable. The spectrum of solutions included smart cooling units, product data for professional engineering, configuration and online tools for simplified technical and commercial processes, efficient automation solutions and secure “on demand” IT solutions. Smart products For the second year in a row, Rittal, Eplan and Phoenix Contact demonstrated at a joint booth in Hall 8 how the vertical integration of product and engineering data can work (see sidebar on left). In fact, the Friedhelm Loh Group was present in many different places at the Hannover Messe. In Hall P11, there was information and sporting action for students from schools and higher education. For the tenth time, Rittal took part in Tec2You, the youth initiative of the Hannover Messe – the world’s most import industrial trade fair. And in Hall 6, Eplan introduced the possibilities and opportunities provided by mechatronic engineering (see page 43). The fourth industrial revolution is based on the development of products into
Networked industry It’s never been easier for customers to configure and order products (below). Yet highly automated manufacturing with machines from Rittal Automation Systems (top left) and the intelligent networking of cooling devices (top right: at left, Uwe Scharf, Rittal’s Executive Vice President Product Management, and Steffen Wagner, Rittal’s Director of Climate Control Product Management) are no longer things of the future.
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“ Syngineer parallelises and significantly accelerates design and development processes by means of a collective view.“ Maximilian Brandl, Chairman of the Management Board at Eplan and Cideon
so-called smart products that are networked to communicate with one another. “To remain competitive, companies today must recognise the potential of digitalisation and fully exploit it,” said Uwe Scharf, Executive Vice President Product Management at Rittal. To this end, Rittal showed the very new possibilities of its Blue e+ cooling devices, which can now become part of Industry 4.0. Smart processes Networked devices deliver important locational information, reduce monitoring efforts for companies and identify faults early on. Rittal demonstrated an app co-developed with platform supplier Axoom, an affiliate of Trumpf, for the networking and remote monitoring of cooling devices. Temperatures, utilisation and system messages for any number of devices can be called up and controlled from anywhere thanks to cloud technology. Through predictive maintenance, Blue e+ cooling devices – which require up to 75 per cent less energy than conventional products – can themselves preventively report necessary repairs or service calls. Aside from saving time for monitoring, this also seriously increases operational reliability in manufacturing. Time-saving is also a central topic in control system and switchgear engineering. As Uwe Scharf explained, “Our customers require support for simplified selection of products and solutions for continuously networked value chains that accelerate their technical and commercial processes.” High data consistency across the entire value chain – from engineering to manufacturing – is crucial. The companies of the Friedhelm Loh Group illustrated this by means of a realistic manufacturing op-
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eration in control system and switchgear engineering. The virtual prototype of a control enclosure served as the connecting element: Rittal supplies high-quality CAE and CAD data, Eplan the matching professional engineering tools. The comprehensive system construction kit from Rittal and the newest automation technology from Rittal Automation Systems round off the product spectrum – convincingly presented with live talks in the Rittal Arena, but also in application demonstrations of fully automated machine technology. Smart services Increasing digitalisation is thus leading Rittal to create smart added-value solutions that aroused the curiosity of the visitors in Hanover. Configurators and selection support considerably simplify processes for planning and purchase of an enclosure. Along with efficiency, however, speed, scalability and security all also play significant roles. Especially because the Internet of Things produces a lot of highly sensitive data that flows into value chain processes and must be protected, Rittal provides IT solutions with effective security concepts for all fields of application – from racks to the Micro Data Center on to turnkey container data centres. n
New enclosure lights
So simple, so bright Even if they may have seemed somewhat insignificant next to innovations like the Blue e+ cooling devices, they still won over many trade fair attendees: components with which Rittal demonstrates that it lives and breathes the motto “Faster – better – everywhere.” down to the last detail. One example is the LED system lights, which are setting new standards. These energy-saving lights are substantially brighter and can even optimally light an enclosure of 2.2 metres down to its base. Flexible covers allow the light to be distributed as needed. It’s both user-friendly and increases security.
Rapid assembly Thanks to a quick-action fastener, it takes just two simple steps and the system lights are securely attached, saving both time and money.
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House of Mechatronics The Syngineer platform, which establishes a common structure for mechatronic engineering, allows designers to continue working with their familiar authoring systems.
Initiating mechatronic engineering
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rom the House of Mechatronics, its silhouette recognisable from afar, Eplan furnished information about its newest solution for interdisciplinary engineering: Syngineer. This communication and collaboration platform paves the way for getting started in mechatronic engineering. “With it we have finally created a collective view of the machine to be constructed,” says Maximilian Brandl, Chairman of the Management Board at Eplan and Cideon. “Coordination and administrative efforts between the various engineering processes are simply structured and automated so that design and development processes are parallelised and considerably accelerated.” Eplan, as the provider of CAE software, and Cideon, as the specialist for mechanical engineering processes and CAD software, have together been developing Syngineer for the past two years. “We are creating a new, superordinate level,” says Eplan Head of Con-
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sulting Uwe Harder. “All the designers work as usual in their authoring systems, but we interlink them in a common structure.” An add-in makes it possible Syngineer establishes simplified, interdisciplinary communication and the automated exchange of information. It’s made possible by a browser add-in that networks the authoring systems, hence the Eplan Platform and the M-CAD and PLC software, and synchronises the data. To date, exchange between disciplines is more likely to take the form of sending component lists or sensor/actuator lists as Excel tables via email. “As soon as a colleague answers the mail, additional lists with changes are created so that it’s difficult to keep an overview of the most current project status,” says Gerhard Wulff, Eplan and Cideon’s Head of Product Management. This is just one of the reasons that the amount of communication and coordination in everyday
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engineering is greater than during the actual design. “With Syngineer, the electrical engineers can, for example, subscribe to the functionalities of the mechanical engineers, like one does on social media,” Wulff continues. “This way they automatically receive information as soon as one of the mechanical engineers has worked on a task.” The chat function allows for quick exchange between designers for specific questions, which then remain saved in direct relation to the component concerned, increasing transparency and traceability. Using drag and drop, designers link components from the respective authoring systems with the structure in Syngineer. This information can be transferred in turn to the PDM/PLM system as a “construction manual” for the mechatronic parts list. As a result, the mechanical and electrotechnical parts lists must no longer be manually synchronised in order to prevent duplications.
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paradigm changes Interview. Eplan has a new president for its locations in the United States since February 2016: Bruce Rodewald. In this interview he talks about the opportunities and challenges for the software specialist on the American market. Interview conducted by Nina Buchheister
You recently became President Eplan Americas. What first steps are you planning for the company? Bruce Rodewald: With our growing Eplan product portfolio, we can offer our customers excellent solutions. As such, the main thing for us is to focus on staff reinforcement in the areas of sales and technical services. We want to grow – and the market here is predestined for growth. Nonetheless, it will naturally take time and require perseverance to expand our presence amongst important strategic target groups and their suppliers. But we have enormous chances for success here in the United States, particularly with our new, thoroughly fascinating topics such as mechatronics, the value chain and the Eplan Data Portal, in combination with more personnel and a strong focus on our customers. When you consider taking on new employees, who exactly are you looking for? Rodewald: The key to increasing our region’s success in sales lies in hiring people with the right backgrounds and relevant experience. The products and services we offer require experts with wide-ranging experience in electrical engineering, automation and industrial processes. They’re difficult to find, however, especially considering the current hype about Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things. What approach are you taking? Rodewald: We’re working at various levels to find qualified consultants. It starts with students, for whom Eplan offers a proactive college and university programme. This early experience with Eplan ensures that we’re grooming knowledgeable candidates over time whom we can recruit as young and professional consultants. We’re also looking for experienced employees on social media and pay attention to cus-
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tomer recommendations. But there are also international Eplan colleagues who want to work for a time in the United States, and they’re welcome here too. Ultimately, they’re not just utilising their abilities, at the same time they’re also gaining more comprehensive knowledge of the American market. Which software tools do electrical engineers use in the United States? Rodewald: At many electrical engineering companies we see very simple software tools being used that are far less sophisticated than our Eplan tools; electrical wiring plans are more likely to be drawn than constructed, with the result that many important logic connections between components often aren’t clearly documented. There is a wide range of reasons for this, such as company decisions made with respect to older projects, financial situations or regional influences. Even though North America is often viewed as one of the most technically advanced regions of the world, there are still companies here and there that draw electrical wiring plans by hand. It’s therefore not surprising that Eplan initiates a paradigm change for the majority of companies in our region. Our software tools represent an upgrade for them, and not just for electrical engineering, but also as a major improvement to their design capabilities. It’s yet another reason why many customers decide to transition to our software. Why is that? Rodewald: Our technology solutions assist in making design faster and more effective, and also improve the customer’s processes. For example, our software offers possibilities for integration that enable customers to access information from other systems, including product data management (PDM) systems. Unlike with
other software tools, all data can be processed dynamically in a much more differentiated way. In their sum, these many small and bigger advantages make a huge difference and support our customers in designing more quickly and efficiently, which also means that new products from our customers are launched more rapidly onto the market for their clients. Whenever we develop new functionalities, we ask ourselves, “What are the biggest time sinks, and how can we support our customers with an improvement?” Ultimately, time is money. Is it true that some people express reluctance because of the complexity of Eplan tools? Rodewald: In North America, many people have had the opportunity to learn AutoCAD while pursuing their post-secondary education. So after graduating from a technical college or university, they have a good understanding of this software package. Eplan has a number of obvious advantages, but use of our solutions in production does mean additional efforts must be made initially: employees must learn a new software, just as one must also learn to use a spreadsheet programme. Training courses can represent a huge obstacle because of budgetary concerns and time constraints, especially for smaller suppliers, and these obstacles must first be overcome. Many Eplan users end up teaching themselves through trial and error. This approach results in them being unable to take full advantage of the benefits that Eplan solutions actually offer. That is why we launched the special training programme Eplan Experience, in order to train our customers – on the basis of our experience – as to how they can optimally utilise Eplan, for instance to make their product structuring or workflows more efficient.
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Have you noticed a change in mindset on these issues? Rodewald: In almost all companies, our customers are compelled to work more efficiently from year to year in order to thrive in the face of competition. That’s not at all surprising when you consider that shorter intervals for market launches and higher quality specifications are key factors right now for industry leaders. As a result, employees require more efficient software tools – and they can find them with Eplan. I recently heard of an instance that exemplifies this point. A world-famous amusement park chain designed and constructed a ride in one of their parks with Eplan. When a problem occurred during operations, the team expected a stoppage of several days. However, on the basis of the available drawings from Eplan, the problem could be located and fixed much more quickly. The ride went back into operation just a few
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hours later. In this case, the use of superior technology really paid off, and this is just one example among many. How important are partnerships for Eplan on the American market? Rodewald: Partnerships are very important, especially for us, as a software company that is active in the market as a specialist for electrical engineering and automation technology. Partnerships with software companies such as Siemens PLM, SAP, PTC and Autodesk on the one hand, and automation suppliers such as Rockwell Automation, Mitsubishi Electric and GE on the other hand, help us to harness even more potential benefits for our mutual customers. At the same time, we have an unparalleled value chain in electrical engineering with our affiliates Cideon and Rittal; for instance, electrical switchgear systems designed with Eplan Electric P8 can be displayed in 3D in the
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Who? Bruce Rodewald (52) was appointed President Eplan Americas in February 2016. What? More than 600,000 device data with wiring plan macros in Eplan Data Portal. Why? Making product structuring and workflow more efficient.
complete Rittal enclosures using Eplan Pro Panel – including all third-party components. Then Rittal machines can be controlled fully automatically for cut-outs on the enclosure. That’s why we organise joint customer events: to increase awareness for the value chain of the Friedhelm Loh Group. Thank you for your time. n
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Ce bit Ce B I T Wissen Expertise
A cloud in a container Container data centres. Data centres can be very efficiently completed using modular and predefined container solutions. This advances the digital transformation of work processes as needed for Industry 4.0, cloud projects and schemes utilising big data. Text: Joscha Duhme
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RiMatrix Balanced Cloud Center (BCC) Turnkey Rittal and iNNOVO Cloud GmbH offer an immediately deployable and turnkey cloud data centre in a container. OpenStack is made up of a variety of open-source software components. Companies are thus able to set up and manage their own high-performance cloud environment from preconfigured standard components. OpenSource framework Server, network and storage are included in the delivery of the RiMatrix BCC and are preconfigured. Beyond this, the established OpenStack open-source framework is used as cloud management software. Cloud models The RiMatrix BCC allows companies to set up various types of clouds, from a private on-premises cloud to the use of a virtual private data centre with proven and secure components, including server, storage and network system.
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Expertise
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Rittal booth From container to cloud – there was a clear focus on data centre industrialisation at this year’s CeBIT.
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he amounts of data that companies must process – regardless of industry – is continually on the rise. Increasing digitalisation poses a variety of challenges for businesses. “Our customers must quickly establish energy-efficient and failsafe IT infrastructures based on clearly calculable costs,” says Martin Kipping, Director International IT Projects at Rittal. More often these days, the solution for many of them is setting up their own modular data centre – a development that can easily be inferred from the growing worldwide demand for such products. The study “Containerized Data Center Market” undertaken by the MarketsandMarkets market research firm forecasts that the market for modular data centres will see annual growth of 33 per cent by 2020. This also applies to the increasingly popular data centre solutions in containers. Their market growth alone could amount to more than 27 per cent annually by 2020.
Rittal has been focusing on this trend, as demonstrated by one of the most important innovations presented at the Rittal booth at this year’s CeBIT in Hanover, Germany. “Modular and predefined data centre container solutions are ideal for a physical IT infrastructure and a secure cloud environment,” Kipping reports. Working together with iNNOVO Cloud GmbH, Rittal presented a containerised turnkey cloud data centre at the 2016 CeBIT: the RiMatrix Balanced Cloud Center (RiMatrix BCC). Racks, the climate control system and power supply are available as predefined modules. The server, network and storage are included as part of the delivery and preconfigured. This data centre is suitable both for standard applications and for highly demanding application scenarios such as high-performance computing (HPC) and projects utilising big data. The RiMatrix BCC, therefore, provides answers to many question being posed by customers who are dealing with the digiti-
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“ Industrialisation in data centre construction makes it possible for companies to complete their own high-performance IT infrastructure easier and faster than ever before.” Andreas Keiger, Executive Vice President for European Sales at Rittal
sation of business and society, as well as other challenges including cloud computing, the Internet of Things and more efficient resource planning. Considering these aspects, an in-house data centre has an important role to play. “The design and construction of a data centre was previously considered a highly customised project with construction times of several years,” says Andreas Keiger, Executive Vice President for European Sales at Rittal. Rittal, in presenting at CeBIT not just its containerised cloud solution but also other practical applications for every need, demonstrated that nowadays the opposite is true. “Industrialisation in data centre construction makes it possible for companies to complete their own high-performance IT infrastructure easier and faster than ever before,” Keiger says. Large, small, mobile, standardised, individually configured or underground – there’s an enormous range of possible solutions. The Norwegian solution A prime example of how a data centre can be commissioned quickly, externally and still remain secure and cost effective is the Lefdal Mine Datacenter (LMD). It is currently coming into being across 120,000 square metres in the eponymous former mine on the Norwegian coast (detailed information available in be top 02/15) with data centre containers from Rittal. The containers hold all the important components
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– from the energy supply to climate-control technology and server racks to monitoring and fire-prevention systems. The module used in Lefdal is the RiMatrix S data centre. This standardised solution was further refined especially for the project in order to meet the requirements for scalability, standardisation and modular application. The container’s modular design allows customers to select the right solution based on pre-certified system components. Performance packages of 5 to 30 kW per rack are available. “The project shows how easy it can be for companies to very quickly put together a secure, high-performance and cost-effective data centre,” Kipping says. For the LMD, running on renewable energy, cooling through the water in the nearby fjord, a power usage effectiveness (PUE) value of less than 1.12 and cost savings of up to 40 per cent as compared to cloud data centres in Germany all speak for themselves. As Rittal also showed at CeBIT, containers aren’t always the best solution. Even the Smart Package can do the trick. This standardised data centre module made up of two, four or six racks with predefined components for cooling, energy supply, monitoring and IT security is one of the smaller complete solutions that Rittal presented. It was all in keeping with the slogan that holds true even outside of the trade fair halls: The right applications for every requirement. n
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Trade conference
Lefdal soon up and running
“The solution’s high standardisation combined with the location’s advantages lead to excellent TCO considerations.” Rittal’s Director International IT Projects Martin Kipping thus whetted his audience’s appetite for the Lefdal Mine Datacenter at the DatacenterDynamics trade conference. Very close to Rittal’s main booth at CeBIT, he and Lefdal Mine Marketing Director Mats Andersson spoke about advances made in this state-of-the-art, energyefficient and operationally cost-effective major project. Customers should be able to productively put their IT systems into operation there as early as the fourth quarter of 2016.
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Magazine
Happy birthday, Tec2You! Rittal has been committed to the Hannover Messe’s youth initiative for the past ten years. The Hannover Messe’s youth initiative Tec2You – and Rittal’s commitment to it – has turned ten years old. The initiative focuses on a younger audience, and now it’s almost as old as its target group. “Promoting young talent is a central priority at Rittal,” says Rittal’s Managing Director Sales and Marketing Hans Sondermann. “That’s because the company’s ability to compete depends on the employees’ innovative strength.”
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In order to inspire students for the world of technology, Rittal has been organising bus trips to the Hannover Messe for up to seven hundred students from central Hesse for the past ten years. “We’re confident that the demand for well-trained specialists is only going to keep growing,” explains Tina Pfeiffer-Busch, Training Coordinator at the Friedhelm Loh Group. “That’s one reason why we don’t just need gradu-
ates, we also need specialists who have taken dual-track studies.” Positive impressions from the visit to the trade fair have repeatedly led to applications for trainee positions. Worldwide the Friedhelm Loh Group is currently training about two hundred apprentices in twenty occupations. Link tip: www.tec-2-you.de
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Well connected Eplan Smart Wiring The new Eplan software for manufacturing support visualises every work step for wiring an enclosure. All data, including source and destination descriptions, cross section, connection description and wiring paths, is provided in 100-per-cent digital form. Users benefit from a significant decline in error rates and considerable time savings. Thanks to the possibility of using data from the engineering phase throughout, of comparing project statuses and of visualising step-by-step instructions, the tool makes smart enclosure wiring a reality.
Clever change Scheuch commissions Cideon In order to remain fit for the future and to work seamlessly, Scheuch, an air and environmental technology specialist in Austria, is switching its entire design and development software to products from Autodesk. In doing so, the family-owned company is setting new standards – according to Autodesk, this is one of the largest transfer projects they’ve ever handled. The contract for equipping a total of 180 workstations went to Cideon GmbH in Linz. The reason: “Cideon has a high level of expertise in the implementation of engineering processes and in data management,” says Stefan Scheuch, Managing Director at Scheuch GmbH.
One-stop shop Rittal Automation Systems expands product range From screwdrivers to cutting and stripping tools, crimping pliers and tools, and even hole punchers and hydraulic die-cutters: since early 2016, Rittal Automation Systems also supplies hand tools. Through this expanded product range, Rittal is now covering the needs of all those process steps requiring manual labour. These include mechanical assembly for enclosures and mounting plates as well as wiring work and knockouts for cable glands. In addition to these hand tools, Rittal also has ergonomic handling systems and warehouse and transport wagons as well as completely automated processing centres on offer. This means that, starting now, Rittal is a full-range supplier for control and switchgear manufacturing. This is of huge benefit for customers, because they’re being supported along every step of the process – at Rittal, their one-stop shop.
New functions The new roof-mounted fan with a modern design offers its users numerous advantages.
Efficient cooling New generation of roof-mounted fans
Strong partners Stefan Scheuch, Managing Director at Scheuch GmbH, and Harald Schrenk, Managing Director at Cideon, at the project conclusion (from right).
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In early April, Rittal expanded its solutions programme for enclosure climate control systems with a new generation of roof-mounted fans. This new innovation offers users both more air throughput – of up to 1,000 cubic metres per hour – and protection category IP 55. This improve-
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ment is important because the roofmounted fans are also suitable for use in harsh industrial environments. Because they can be affixed with a clamp attachment either inside or outside the enclosure, maximum flexibility for assembly and disassembly is guaranteed.
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The new high-flyers Mobile data centres. They’re scalable, quickly operational and turnkey deliverable. Container data centres are currently trending, and the example of RAIL.ONE proves that they can change locations in record time. Text: Joscha Duhme
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omplete relocation of a data centre in seven hours and fifteen minutes? That could never work. Except it can! When mobility and quick commissioning are the order of the day and not at the expense of security, customers are increasingly turning to container data centres. They are an option as an interim solution when existing data centres have technical malfunctions, are damaged due to catastrophes or when peak loads occur. Yet many companies have been relying on these compact and, if requested, turnkey
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containers for some time now, and not just as a stopgap measure or backup system. Their advantages also make them interesting as a core solution. The demand for container data centres is rising. Martin Kipping, Rittal’s Director International IT Projects, confirms that data centres in a standardised industrial container are by no means only being used on an interim basis: “Many small and medium-sized companies that are investing in scalable in-house solutions opt for the container variant, which can gradually be modularly expanded as the
company requires.” One such company is RAIL.ONE, the technology leader in the area of sleeper and system solutions in railway transport. For the relocation of the company’s entire headquarters in Upper Palatinate, Germany, RAIL.ONE chose a Rittal Data Center Container (RDCC). Since the data centre could not immediately be installed in the new building – 250 employees depend on it for their work – the company’s IT specialists sought a failsafe interim solution. And because RAIL. ONE’s IT expertise is so critical and
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Robust Containerised solutions, which can be quickly commissioned, offer a high amount of protection for IT infrastructure despite their high mobility, which simplifies changing locations.
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“ The experts from Rittal won us over with a sound and complete package for which the performance parameters and the overall prices all added up.“ RAIL.ONE’s Commercial Director Christian Ehrnsberger
should therefore remain in-house, a classic outsourcing of the data centre to an external service provider was out of the question. More than an interim solution The solution: a data centre that combines all of the functionality and components of a typical data centre into a standardised industrial container and thus fits onto all common lorries, freight trains and cargo ships. While other companies choose the RDCC on account of its mobility and even use it at changing construction sites or at various company locations with uniform standards, the container data centre made the one-off removal plan much easier for RAIL.ONE. Additionally, the container solution, customised precisely to the company’s needs, will be housing the data centre permanently after the move. “We had intense discussions with suppliers about their concepts and decided for the solution from Rittal,” says RAIL.ONE’s Commercial Director Christian Ehrnsberger. Thanks to a specially reinforced base frame and multilayered panel elements, the RDCC offers dependable protection from unauthorised access, has very good thermal insulation, effective soundproofing, and protection against fire and debris. Reversible side panels additionally enable upscaling of the data centre to more than several hundred square metres in the event of greater demand. “The experts from Rittal won us over with a sound and complete package for which the performance parameters and the overall prices all added up,” Ehrnsberger explains. Within just a few weeks, Rittal delivered the desired RDCC, including the necessary components for IT, climate control, power distribution and security. This rapid availability makes container solutions attractive and the ideal emergency solution, even in the case of a natural catastrophe. This is
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what happened to energy provider Orion in New Zealand, for whom Rittal configured a container in five weeks after the company’s data centre had been destroyed by an earthquake. To protect the technology from this constant threat, the container now rests on secure vibration dampers. “We were able to obtain a complete solution for our data centre infrastructure and our security from one supplier,” says Orion’s Senior Systems Engineer Nevile Dighby in praise. RAIL.ONE was also preparing for emergencies. Yet their elaborate plans about what to do if the container were damaged during the move remained purely precautionary measures. At seven in the morning, technicians disconnected the container at the company’s old location. After just seven hours and fifteen minutes, the Rittal container was resting on the roof of the new building three kilometres away – completely operational, including the IT systems. Today the new data centre operates, unseen and fail-safe, and all the monitoring takes place with the use of the Rittal CMC III solution. The modern cooling system is extremely efficient, managing with an inlet temperature of 18 degrees Celsius – which helps to keep the energy costs low. Depending on the climatic environment, the RDCC can even be cooled directly and for free with filtered ambient air. “We were particularly impressed with the high quality of the Rittal products,” says RAIL.ONE IT Director Peter Both, who remains satisfied even months after the move. “All of the components simply work together, and this helps ensure our operating an efficient and fail-safe IT environment.” n
Timeline of the move 6:00–7:00 a.m. The hum of the server technology goes silent. IT Director Peter Both has shut down the data centre. A hush falls over the racks. Tension builds in the team. 7:00–11:00 a.m. The experts disconnect all of the cables and secure the components, so that everything remains where it should be during the threekilometre journey via flatbed lorry. 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Faces tense with concentration: a special crane carefully lifts the 16-tonne container onto the roof of the new location – 30 metres away from the roof’s edge. A complicated task, but everything goes well. 12:00–2:00 p.m. Hooked up: the connections for data transfer, telephone services and the power supply for operations and cooling have been made. 2:00–3:00 p.m. The moment of truth. One by one, Both and his team boot up the memory, the hardware server and the virtual machines. Lighted displays, humming technology. Everything looks like it did this morning, except for the location. Coming to the end of his checklist, tick after tick, Both declares: all systems and services are operational.
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Preconfigured In order to connect mobile data centres equipped for the customer’s needs, electricians, IT experts, metalworkers and movers all work hand in hand.
Commissioning Because the data centre arrived unchanged at the new location, the IT experts had little trouble bringing it back into operation.
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Sophisticated changeover Eplan Experience. Since early 2015, Eplan Experience has been providing assistance to Wintersteiger, a special machine builder in Austria. A machine made from a ready-toassemble kit is thus close to becoming reality – an IT project from the bottom up. Text: Elisabeth Biedermann, Factory
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alking through the manufacturing halls of Wintersteiger AG in Upper Austria’s Ried im Inn kreis, what immediately catches one’s eye is the fresh green colour of the machines that are produced there. It’s an absolutely characteristic design that the company employs. Founded in 1953, the company is acknowledged as a complete professional in the areas of wood thin-cutting, ski services, and plant breeding and research. But something new has been brewing since February 2015 in the production halls on these Alpine foothills – a sophisticated IT project with Eplan. The aim of the project is to catapult Wintersteiger’s CAE processes – or computeraided development – to new levels of efficiency. Gottfried Aschauer, Wintersteiger’s Director of Corporate Research and Development, and his team had been looking for a new CAE system since 2013. Aschauer gave himself plenty of time for the decision. A number of vendors were rigorously compared. Article master data, libraries and user interfaces were all especially important criteria. “One of the reasons for choosing Eplan was the system’s prevalence,” Aschauer explains. What was most important for him was the possibility to fall back onto agency personnel to cover peaks in capacity. In March of last year, they were ready: Eplan received the official contract to implement three tools at Wintersteiger – Eplan Electric P8 and, on the platform, the Eplan Fluid and Eplan Pro Panel add-ons. A machine from the database Another important touchstone for the machine builder was the standardisation of the item database. The Eplan solution demonstrated what it has to offer in this area during the very first handling test. In the past, respective macros would have had to have been entered by hand for each item used – which corresponded to work volumes of two to four hours per item record. Now the data from the manufacturer can simply be pulled from Eplan Data Portal and saved directly in the tool. “That
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takes only a few seconds,” Aschauer says. Currently there are 147 manufacturers represented in Eplan Data Portal. On the advice of Eplan trainers, Wintersteiger employees take a particularly function-oriented approach in their project structuring. “We’ve done our best to construct the macros in such a way so that in two years we’ll be able to build machines like they’ve come from a ready-to-assemble kit,” Aschauer says, with an eye to the future. For Robert Erasmus, the Wintersteiger project is one that grew from the bottom up. Erasmus, Eplan’s Director of Professional Services, paid an on-site visit to the Riedbased special machine builder in July. “We’ve just completed the first launch phase,” Erasmus says. The result: it was only in data management that Eplan was a hint more complex than competing products. “But that wasn’t decisive for us,” Aschauer explains. Two additional handling tests were conducted in September. Describing the openness of the Eplan software as compared to other systems, Aschauer says, “Only the data exchange of the stock lists from SAP into Eplan was a bit difficult.” Although there was a perfectly functioning SAP online interface, it
Range of products
The three pillars Plant breeding and research Wintersteiger is regarded as number one worldwide in field trials research. Wood thin-cutting The thin-cutting technology from Wintersteiger is used around the world for lamella production. Skiing and snowboarding Wintersteiger is also the world’s leading brand for services for skiing and snowboarding.
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Eplan Fields of Action 1. IT Infrastructure Integration of the Eplan software into the IT environment 2. Platform Setup Develop application-specific programme configurations 3. Codes & Standards: Guidelines for the optimal creation and utilisation of master data 4. Product Structure Predetermined method to structure machines 5. Design Methods The right pathways to selecting the most efficient method intense discussions The IT and machine-building specialists Robert Erasmus, Director of Professional Services at Eplan (at left), Thomas Forstenpointer, Control Technology and Control Engineering at Wintersteiger (middle) and Gottfried Aschauer, Director of Corporate Research and Development at Wintersteiger, in conversation.
was declined for the first project phase due to the cost-benefit comparison. The company instead used CSV data for functional offline data transfer by means of a standard Eplan interface. However, if the company plans to configure wiring plans in the future, they’ll consider the online interface once again. “Right now, the offline solution is sufficient for us,” Aschauer says. In order to integrate pneumatic elements as efficiently as possible as well – ideally, together with the electrical components – Wintersteiger is now also using Eplan Fluid. This is an engineering tool for the automated design and documentation of schematics for fluid-technical plants. The benefit: the tool creates consistent and integrated designs for the electrical and fluid power systems. It thus unifies two disciplines, including the corresponding standards in Eplan Platform. For Robert Erasmus, Wintersteiger has set a very special benchmark, as the complete new reconstruction of such a project is “very unusual.” He is more often confronted with customers who pay little mind to future engineering and, if they do, it’s usually just for a CAE changeover. The available potential lies fallow in the pro-
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6. Workflow Step-by-step evaluation and automation of design tasks 7. Process Integration Incorporating engineering data and workflows 8. Project Management Maximising productivity in very short time
cess. “They may be satisfied with our tools, but they use only about one-third of their potential,” Erasmus explains. And this is exactly why Eplan headquarters developed the Eplan Experience programme last year – made up of eight fields of action and established from the feedback from more than 110,000 users. It helps make the implementation and the use of engineering tools even more efficient. Gottfried Aschauer finds structured processes important. “Especially for an IT project of this magnitude, it’s important to not lose sight of the different fields of action,” he says with conviction. The experts from Eplan Experience agree with him wholeheartedly. n
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A llgaie r
Piecework High-quality parts for the automotive industry are produced from the steel delivered here
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Equal partners Steel. From Oelsnitz to the rest of the world: Stahlo and Allgaier have been working together since August 2015, producing components for BMW. Their joint innovations help to make vehicles that are even more lightweight and safe. Text: Julia Frese
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hen he travels from Gera in Thuringia to Oelsnitz in Saxony, Stahlo Quality Manager Frank Werner passes green hills and quaint little villages. But since early 2015, a building filled with state-of-the-art technology has stood in the middle of this idyllic Vogtland landscape: the newest factory of the Allgaier Group, now bolstering its automotive division. “It’s only an hour’s drive from Stahlo’s Gera location to Oelsnitz,” says Mike Röder, 47, Plant Manager at Allgaier Sachsen GmbH. He considers this close physical proximity one of the major reasons for the working relationship with Stahlo. One of its trucks brings a new delivery of cut-tosize steel sheets to the factory in Oelsnitz four to five times a week. The short distance keeps transportation costs low. But Röder acknowledges that this was not his most important criterion in the choice of business partner: “There are other steel service companies in the region.” Because of Oelsnitz’s proximity to the Czech border, Allgaier Sachsen GmbH could have chosen one of many attractive vendors there. But Röder’s priority was to find a partner who spoke the same language, and not just in the literal sense. “The chemistry was right from the beginning,” says Röder. “And if there’s occasional friction, we discuss things as equals. We’re sure to find a solution every time.” Since August 2015, this has been the basis of a trusting working relationship.
To ensure prompt delivery to Allgaier every week, huge steel coils roll onto a conveyor belt at Stahlo in Gera. Stahlo used to specialise exclusively in spare parts manufacturing, but the collaboration with Allgaier has allowed the company to expand its portfolio. Steel can be cut into any shape and size at the plate-cutting facility in Gera, one of the largest and most advanced of its kind. After the plates are delivered, Allgaier uses them to create automobile components. “Our first customer at the Oelsnitz location is BMW,” says Röder, “but we also have several new projects in the initial phases.” There is thus a good chance that Stahlo will be continuing as Allgaier Sachsen’s steel service partner on future jobs. Expansion planned An expansion of the factory was in the works from the start. Currently, the first delivery entrance is numbered as 3, to be followed by 1 and 2 over the course of the expansion. The working materials are based on stateof-the-art technology; tools are tested using a black-box security scanner and every delivery is catalogued via QR Code. Press technology is another area in which the Allgaier Group is the market leader. In numerous experiments and steps, a method was tested to make it possible to maintain the stability of a car body despite reduced sheet thickness. The Variotempo process was developed in the engi-
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“ By discussing things with Stahlo as equals, we find a solution every time.“ Mike Röder, Plant Manager at Allgaier in Oelsnitz
Allgaier
Everything for the automobile Allgaier was founded in 1906. With its headquarters in Uhingen, Allgaier employs a total of about 1,800 employees at all of its locations. The Allgaier Group is divided into two divisions: Automotive and Process Technology. At affiliates and agents in Germany, France, Mexico and China, the Automotive division processes more than 80,000 tonnes of steel and aluminium annually, which is then delivered to companies in the automotive industry. With its core brands Allgaier, Mogensen, Gosag and Mozer, the Process Technology division has a presence in over thirty countries. It provides both standardised and customised systems and equipment.
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neering of tool design and construction at Allgaier’s Uhingen headquarters. The forming processes were initially developed via simulation and then verified using prototype tools. This method is revolutionary in the way it processes high-strength and ultra-highstrength steel sheets with strengths of up to 1,200 megapascals. An additional advantage of Variotempo is that automotive components (e.g. gland plates or wheel housings), which used to require the pressing and assembling of two or three pieces, can now be formed from a single sheet, without cracks in the material. “This reduces material costs and at the same time allows us to produce much lighter parts,” says Röder.
the basic material – the steel itself. “Right now, no industry is as innovative as the steel industry,” says Guido Spenrath, Managing Director of Stahlo. Crash tests have already confirmed the benefits of these developments, and the statistics speak for themselves. Accident rates have been on a steady decline in recent decades. The number of traffic fatalities in 1970 was 21,300, whereas only 3,475 people were killed in accidents on German roads in 2015. Another advantage of lightweight design is that it gives automobile manu facturers more space for special equipment in their vehicles. Customers then get to enjoy cars that are more quiet and more comfortable. This is yet another reason why the automotive industry is experimenting with various materials – lighter, sturdier, better ones. Some manufacturers have started using carbon to build ultra-light vehicles. But because this material is expensive, and very difficult to process, the Allgaier Group sees the future of lightweight car body design in high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel. The Variotempo process used at Allgaier ensures that car body components with complex geometries are manufactured in an energy-efficient way, fostering increased vehicle safety at the same time thanks to the high strength of the material. “Although cold forming will not squeeze warm forming out of the market, it will definitely make it more competitive,” says Röder. Frank Werner and Guido Spenrath would be happy if their steel sheets were to find future use in standard production with Vario tempo. But whatever the future holds: Allgaier and Stahlo, strong partners with a spirit of innovation, are already working in Vogtland to make a significant contribution to the increased safety of vehicles throughout the world. n
Increasingly lightweight and sturdy For years, the trend in the automotive industry has been towards more lightweight design. Steel is the most advantageous material for this because it can be pressed at very low thickness into forms with high stability and rigidity. “We’re always trying to figure out how to make a more lightweight car without diminishing its stability,” explains Röder. The Variotempo process enables Allgaier to reduce tooling costs by around 30 per cent and material weight by up to 60 per cent as compared to conventional methods. Not only does this play a part in more energy-conscious production, it is also an important safety factor. Steel thinning can be significantly more uniform than with existing cold forming processes, also reducing the springback of the sheet metal parts. Corresponding split dies enable Allgaier to zero in with more material on critical deformation zones. However, the pressing process is not the only area of the industry where major changes are occurring. There is even an ongoing optimisation of the composition of
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Just in time Every day a new delivery of contoured blanks arrives at Allgaier.
Teamwork In order to manufacture automotive components in a single step, Allgaier has developed the Variotempo process.
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Speedy reckoning Acquisition. At what point is it worthwhile to purchase new cooling units? This question can be headache-inducing for customers. Rittal’s energy-efficiency and total-cost-ofownership calculator offers relief. Total costs, potential savings and amortisation period are only a mouse click away. Text: Rebecca Lorenz
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ccording to the Umweltbundes amt, Germany’s environmental protection agency, industry consumes about 45 per cent of the electricity in the country. This is one reason why the focus has shifted to the energy efficiency of enclosure climate control, for example. When choosing efficient equipment, the cooling units’ Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) can point the way. The EER compares cooling capacity levels to energy consumption. However, a calculation of energy efficiency based on the values of the unit’s rating plate and an annual average temperature is often inconclusive. “The EER alone is not much help,” says Sebastian Mankel, Product Manager Climate Control at Rittal. “It’s a laboratory value based on a room temperature of 35 degrees Celsius, in line with DIN EN 14511, and is not specifically related to usage. It’s the same with cars: depending on individual performance, runtime and ambient temperature, actual consumption values deviate significantly from the listed average.” For this reason, calculation tools that facilitate an individual assessment of energy efficiency in the annual seasonal rhythm – the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) – are a must. Solid foundation The developers of Blue e+ cooling units offer a solution. Last year they launched an online calculator that provides an objective basis for a purchase decision. “On the basis of climate data, current electricity prices and individual performance profiles, our calculator offers extremely reliable guidance on energy consumption, on potential savings and on the total cost of ownership,” says Mankel. The first step is choosing an appropriate temperature profile, which can be selected either on the basis of the stored climate
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data or by means of manual input of temperature measurements taken during operation. “This step is followed by the second step, in which the cooling units to be compared are selected,” explains Mankel. “Our calculator compares energy costs and CO2 consumption of the selected cooling units on the basis of performance, runtime and the price of electricity.” It is even possible to compare external cooling units on the basis of the rating plate information. “In countries like Austria, for example, you have to provide evidence of the machinery’s actual energy consumption and the CO2 emissions caused by its power consumption,” says Mankel. “Customers can use the efficiency calculator to determine this consumption data quickly and accurately in order to prove their compliance with legal requirements.” Moreover, the calculator is ideal for verifying energy management, because all findings can be exported to PDF
and printed. As a final step, to find out how quickly the acquisition of refrigeration equipment will be amortised, a non-binding offer from the Rittal sales department is required. “If you enter the price of the offer, a ten-year overview of the total costs for the selected cooling units is displayed,” explains Mankel. “In addition to energy expenses, the calculator factors in the costs of acquisition, installation, overhead, maintenance and disposal. Users can see at a glance whether investing in a supposedly affordable model would make long-term sense, or whether a more expensive alternative would be the real bargain over a tenyear period.” In most cases, the acquisition of state-of-the-art Blue e+ cooling units is amortised in less than two years. n
Link tip: www.rittal.com/efficiency_calculator
Checklist
Steps towards the decision E ntering the temperature profile Because it is hotter in Bangalore than in Vancouver, the efficiency summary should also take the individual temperature profile into account. The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of the cooling units can be calculated on the basis of climate data and information from plant measurements. S electing the desired air conditioner A detailed performance profile is a prerequisite for a realistic efficiency summary, no matter if a workweek has five, six or seven days. Information such as uptime, price of electricity and performance of air conditioners is essential.
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Defining comparable products All cooling devices on the market differ in terms of their energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The efficiency calculator makes it easy to compare the key performance indicators, including those of external cooling devices. Calculating the total cost of ownership Using a non-binding offer, the total cost of ownership for all selected devices can be compared. In addition to acquisition expenditures, the costs of installation, overhead, maintenance, energy and disposal are factored in.
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Dream team: Man + Machine The louvred grilles, fan covers and base trays for Rittal’s Blue e+ cooling units are among the products manufactured on the new 1,600-tonne injection moulding machine from LKH.
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Attention to detail in a powerhouse Plastics. The latest injection moulding machine from LKH Kunststoffwerk Heiligenroth has a clamping force of 16,000 kN. It represents the rapid progress in production technology, resulting in sophisticated design elements and robust chassis components alike. Text: Meinolf Droege
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Process management
From ideas to series LKH manages project ideas quickly, safely and with a high level of quality all the way to efficient batch production. Project and process management structures atypical for a plastics processing company have proven effective in this regard. The project manager is the key contact person for customers, in-house stakeholders and (where appropriate) outside experts for the entire duration of the project, from the first draft of an idea to design, prototyping and optimisation, to the launch of the series. The process manager, responsible for production and quality, is already on board during the design phase in order to optimise the look of the product in terms of material selection, mould design, quality risks and production costs within the context of future “feasibility.” This coordination ensures optimal products and cost-effective production, even on complex projects with many stakeholders.
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n industrial fan is a design element as well as a fan. Thanks to plastics, there are now better solutions than those found in past market standards. These improvements are made possible through the interplay of innovative design ideas, detailed optimisation simulations and the latest production technologies. Typically in industrial plant engineering, the functional properties of components are the initial focus of solutions. But in the experience of Rüdiger Braun, Director Sales and Engineering at plastics specialist LKH in Heiligenroth, “The notion of ‘fits and functions’ ceased to be the sole principle here, too, some time ago.” In recent years, even mechanical engineers have taken great pains to give their products a uniform design and a distinctive vocabulary of shape and colour and to forge a brand image as a means of standing out from their competitors. Combining this effort with improvements in functionality and cost reductions – in the best-case scenario – provides a challenging task for both designers and production technicians. Plastic, the most versatile of materials, has an extremely wide range of useful properties and processing methods. Consequently, as a globally successful manufacturer of enclosures for power distribution, control systems and IT infrastructure, Rittal poses the “P” question with every new design: Plastic instead of metal, or can an existing plastic design be improved? Improvement can mean easier, faster, more cost-effective assembly; greater efficiency
using fewer components; enhanced performance; or an attractive design with market appeal. Ideally, LKH makes full use of the potential of plastic through a combination of several of these points. This approach was the driving force in Rittal’s development of a brand-new line of cooling units. Continuous climate control is required to ensure the long-term functioning of components housed in enclosures. According to Steffen Wagner, Director Product Management Climate Control at Rittal, “It makes no difference if we’re talking about robotics power supply in automotive production, high-security process control in the chemical industry or the control centre of an airport’s IT infrastructure – climate control in control systems is a key aspect of operation safety.” Cooling units affect standing energy consumption and maintenance costs as well as, in large part, the running costs of operations. Energy efficiency is therefore just as important as simplifying cyclical inspections. In the course of the periodic modernisation of its cooling units, Rittal has revamped the Blue e+ series. Thanks to the latest hybrid and regulation technologies and extremely efficient components, the devices guarantee energy savings of at least 75 per cent compared to the market standard. “Those responsible at Rittal wanted a slim housing solution with an appropriate design for this high-tech climate control system,” says Rüdiger Braun. “At the same time, a simplified assembly was considered.” The challenge was to trans-
Detail work Filigree geometries, such as the slats on the front of the cooling unit, and robust surfaces are not mutually exclusive.
Virtual testing Sophisticated simulations have long been a crucial part of product development and product optimisation for engineering at LKH.
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“ We worked with our customers to exhaust every possibility offered by plastic in terms of function and design.” Rüdiger Braun, Director Sales and Engineering at LKH in Heiligenroth
form the original “production-unfriendly” design sketches into a highly functional product with a distinctive exterior that is less expensive to manufacture. Plastic replaces sheet steel With LKH brought on board in the early stages as a project management partner, the new generation of Rittal cooling units introduced in 2015 also bears the signature of LKH. Innovative mould design and use of the 1,600-tonne machine result in an outstanding design with extraordinarily sophisticated geometrics and high-quality yet robust surfaces without joints or visible weld lines. “But inside you will find many other valuable innovations,” explains Rüdiger Braun. “The exterior conceals an entire set of redesigned plastic parts, including a large-format, high-strength, one-piece component carrier.” Fibre-reinforced plastics replace the sheet steel of the previous generation. The employment of certified, fire-retardant materials provides a high level of safety, making use of the end product in all environments possible. With some support for the simulation from specialists at partner CTE, the LKH engineering team increased the functional integration dramatically and tested “feasibility” in the early stages of development. This approach reduced the risk of wasting time and money on correcting errors later in the project. 3D prototypes were printed throughout the design process for verification. In addition to installation tests, performance data such as calculated air volume throughputs of various sizes can be tested. Installation at the plant and on-site is expe-
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dited by the use of considerably fewer parts, by simple, mainly tool-free assembly and by optimised cable routing. System costs are significantly reduced. A number of the components can be used in several sizes of climate control systems, which further reduces the variety of parts. Last but not least, the instantaneous, uniform cooling reduces wear and tear on components in the enclosure. Plastic provides a pleasant side effect: the entire assembly is both more lightweight and quieter. Maintenance staff was also taken into consideration: the filters are ergonomically accessible and can be changed in a few simple steps. “We worked with our customers to exhaust every possibility offered by plastic in terms of function and design,” summarises Rüdiger Braun. “Naturally, we also produce components using our state-of-the-art, highly automated injection moulding technology and assembly plants. Still, a major share of the success of such projects, which give customers a competitive edge, is due to upstream operations. Successful answers to the ‘P’ question are decided on the injection moulding machine – and in the efficient management of R&D projects.” n
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Safety
Fire prevention Safety is the number one priority in the operation of electrical and electronic equipment. Under no circumstances may a fire be caused by overheating or component failure. Using flame-retardant plastics in vulnerable machines and equipment will prevent the outbreak and spread of fire. For example, for plastics categorised as V-0, burning must stop automatically within ten seconds. The processing of flame-retardant plastics requires additional expertise in design, mould making, production and certification. LKH has years of experience with different classes of fire protection and proven partnerships with material suppliers. Moreover, LKH is certified to install flameretardant components according to various national and international standards as well as industry standards. Hence, certified products and assemblies with appropriate documentation can be supplied to customers.
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Up-close and personal Fun and excitement on Girls’ Day Drafting, soldering and wiring: in early April, 33 Girls’ Day participants got a taste of various technical activities at the Friedhelm Loh Group. The event showed that traditional male professions are becoming more and more interesting for women. The girls were extremely curious and enthusiastic as they took their first steps into the world of industry. “I think it’s exciting,” said Viktoria, an eighth-grader at the Johann von Nassau School in Dillenburg. “I’ve been interested in electronics for quite a while.”
Working together Current and former employees pitch in at a youth centre in Siegbach.
Strength in numbers Former and current employees support youth centre The saw screeches, the sawdust flies: on two Saturdays, current and former employees of the Friedhelm Loh Group renovated the wooden buildings at the youth centre in Siegbach-Oberndorf (Germany). “The old A-frame houses were getting on in years,” explained Friedemann Hensgen, Chairman of the Rittal Foundation. “They have been demolished and replaced by new timber structures.” Since 2015, the foundation has also provided financial support to the youth centre, which offers programmes for disadvantaged children.
Playing sports for a good cause Donation of proceeds from the Rittal Cup
Cheque presentation The proceeds of the football tournament will benefit social institutions in the region.
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No fewer than 220 footballers, 21 teams and one good cause: at the Rittal Cup, teams compete not only for the trophy, but for as many donations as possible. Over 4,000 euros were raised in 2015 and given in mid-March of this year to social institutions in the district of Lahn-Dill. A children’s playground project, the Dillenburger Tafel food bank for the needy, the Burbach Jesus Freaks and the Vita service-dogs association were all grateful for the donations.
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Twice on top Friedhelm Loh Group receives employer awards
The Friedhelm Loh Group was honoured twice for offering its employees numerous opportunities for advanced training. Focus Money magazine named the group one of the best training companies in Germany, and, for the eighth time in a row, the Top Employers Institute voted it one of Germany’s top employers. “The Friedhelm Loh Group has created an outstanding environment for its employees and offers a wide range of creative initiatives,” said Steffen Neefe, the DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) Country Manager at the Top Employers Institute. This setting also benefits Matthias Schwalbe (photo), who is successfully completing his training course at Rittal. In his off-time, he plays handball in the U19 league. Link tip: www.friedhelm-loh-group.com
Award winners! Accepting the Top Employer award: Christian Scheurer, Marcus von Pock, Inga Kleine-Boymann and Markus Hoischen.
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Commitment
J umpe rs
“ I always come here with my little brother. At home we usually only play games on the mobile phone.” Josi, 13 years old
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Leap into Life Community. The Jumpers association has launched a neighbourhood project to support children and young people in the district of Lusan in Gera, Germany. The twist: the centre’s educational staff have moved to the district and with funding from the Rittal Foundation are teaching the children to appreciate and respect others. Text: Lisa Krekel
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here is a ping-pong table in front of a bank of windows and five excited children are running around it, trying to hit the ping-pong ball with their rackets. “Oh no, I’m out again,” says thirteen-year-old Andrej, plopping down in one of the many sofas scattered about the room. Two boys are playing chase with swords and disappear out the open door shouting, “Attack, attack!” At a nearby table, two teenagers are crocheting long woollen spirals, which will later decorate the walls. With practised hand movements, they wrap the colourful yarn around their thumbs and index and middle fingers. Only a few metres away, two girls are busy hanging handicrafts on a string. It is a typical Friday at Jumpers, a centre for children and families in the district of Lusan in Gera. “And today it’s relatively quiet,” says social education worker Carsten Dax, smiling, as he places a red five on the stack of Uno cards in front of him. “We usually have forty to fifty kids here.” Dax, 42, is sitting in the entrance of the centre, which opened in October 2015. The coat stand behind him gradually fills up with coats and jackets as more and more children arrive at Kastanienstrasse 3 to spend the afternoon with their friends. Before they can begin playing, though, they must write their names on a list. “So that we know who’s here,” says Dax. The list also helps staff figure out which activity is popular with the kids. In the colourfully painted entrance, there is a table with biscuits and iced tea for snacks. Thirteen-year-old Josi grabs a biscuit as she walks by and continues on to the ping-pong table.
Rittal Foundation
Funded Projects The Rittal Foundation supported a large number of other charitable projects last year. In addition to providing aid to the elderly and to disabled persons, it focused on supporting refugees and young people. Since its inception in 2012, the foundation has funded more than 120 social projects. Its most important flagship projects include the Little Scientists’ House (early childhood education), the Amadeus Junior Academy (arts education), Students Discover Design (aesthetic education) and HIPPY (language development). The Jumpers project represents a cross-section of the supported target groups. In addition, in 2016 the Rittal Foundation focused on achieving a good balance among the funded projects.
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Commitment
J umpe rs
“ Annette and Carsten are totally cool, and the workshops are really fun.” Jana, 11 years old
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“ You can play here without getting on someone’s nerves. That’s a great feeling.” Cedric, 13 years old
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J umpe rs
The Association
Jumpers “Jumpers – Jugend mit Perspektive e.V.” covers three fields of work: neighbourhood projects, school social projects and networking. Gera is the fourth location of a neighbourhood project, alongside Kassel, Stadtallendorf and Salzgitter. The Jumpers network, consisting of 76 Christian social projects active throughout Germany, promotes the exchange of ideas among project directors. Jumpers currently employs fifteen staff members, six of whom are doing their volunteer social year. “We love living with local residents and creating new opportunities with them,” says Thorsten Riewesell, the association’s director. With the help of athletic, creative and arts-and-crafts activities, he and his colleagues aim to integrate young people from different cultures and social milieus into the local communities and help them succeed in life.
Carsten Dax and his colleague Annette Steppan – an educator, youth adviser and theatre teacher – have directed the Christian social project “Jumpers – Jugend mit Perspektive e.V.” in the Lusan district of Gera since autumn of last year. Their centre is located in a housing estate of prefabricated concrete-slab buildings, and with the help of volunteers, they have been trying to give the children and adolescents a new outlook on life. “If you ask the children what they want to be when they grow up, many have no idea at all. They have no dreams,” says 27-year-old Steppan. “If their parents are on welfare, it doesn’t occur to them that they can do something different. We want to plant a seed and teach them that everyone can define goals for him- or herself and achieve these goals as well.” The Jumpers team has set itself the task of supporting these young people on the road to an independent, self-determined life. Financial support To ensure that they are successful, the Rittal Foundation is funding the non-profit neighbourhood project. “The programme reflects the Rittal Foundation’s central goals in many ways,” says Friedemann Hensgen, foundation chairman. “In addition to Christian social values, education is one of the main criteria for receiving support and is an important aspect of the local work.” And Jumpers is local in every sense of the word. Annette Steppan and Carsten Dax have moved to Lusan specifically for their work in order to live with the residents and change the neighbourhood in positive ways. “They’re not only looking at the situation and giving advice from a distance, but experiencing first-hand where the problems lie. That impressed us a great deal,” explains Hensgen.
Jumpers staff Annette Steppan, 27, is a trained educator, youth adviser and theatre teacher. She has been living in the Lusan district of Gera with her husband since June 2015. “I love to see positive change, whether large or small. Achieving goals and unlocking potential are great sources of motivation for me.” Carsten Dax, 42, holds a master’s degree in social education studies. For the project, he moved to Gera from Chemnitz. “It’s exciting to move to this type of neighbourhood and live and work here with the residents. What I like most are the many green spaces between the tall buildings.”
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Creative activities In addition to educational services such as tutoring and coaching, the children and young people can take advantage of a wide range of other activities. Whether it is creative woodworking, sports tournaments, music lessons, or dance and theatre workshops, the centre has something for everyone. A diverse programme is available not only on weekdays, but also during school holidays. The regular visits by McTurtle – a participatory children’s theatre that teaches Christian values – are a special highlight. And for the team led by Dax and Steppan, parents play a key role. At joint festivals and musicals, the two directors have increasingly involved parents in their
children’s lives and the life of the neighbourhood. The time spent on these joint activities strengthens the sense of community in the district, which is another reason the Rittal Foundation is supporting the project. After all, the Friedhelm Loh Group attaches great importance to a strong sense of community in its workforce, subsidiaries and the entire region. In addition, because all activities are free, Jumpers promotes equal opportunity. “We want everyone to feel welcome here,” says Dax. “The youth club around the corner shut down some time ago. We launched the project in a neighbourhood where there were no recreational activities or youth work for students.” Regardless of the activity, the focus is always on individual support. “We want to teach the children to be self-confident and to empower them to believe in themselves,” says Steppan. To achieve this goal, the educators do their best to serve as role models every moment of the day. That begins with small, everyday things such as apologizing, being friendly and not using bad language. They also attempt to impart values such as reliability, civility and a belief in human goodness. “The things you start with may seem small and unimportant to you, but they can achieve a great deal for the children,” says Steppan confidently. In her view, it is especially important to show her charges what a functioning relationship looks like and that loyalty is an important quality. In the space of just a few months, the directors and volunteers have been able to win over the children. “I think it’s really nice here. I always have a lot of fun and come every day,” says eleven-year-old Michelle. “I used to be bored all the time and only played on the computer.” When asked what she has learned during her time at Jumpers, Michelle replies confidently, “You need to be nice and respect others.” After a brief hesitation, she adds with a giggle, “And you shouldn’t use any bad words.” Michelle is not the only child who has found new friends in Kastanienstrasse. Thirteen-year-old Cedric has been coming to the centre since it opened. What he likes most is playing ping-pong with his new friends. “You can play here without getting on someone’s nerves – that’s a great feeling,” he says. “And there are simply more options than playing at home.” n
LINK tips: www.jumpers-gera.de www.rittal-foundation.de
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“ Since I first started coming, I’m a lot more polite with my friends.” Andrej, 13 years old
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something Is going on underground Tunnel technology. Using Rittal technology, tunnel-building specialists are realising enormously large and complex construction projects. However, examples from around the world show that not every tunnel requires gigantic high-tech tools.
Highest tunnel
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The Fenghuoshan Tunnel in northwest China is located at about 5,000 metres above sea level, making it the world’s highest train tunnel. The tunnel is part of the Lhasa Railway, connecting mainland China with Tibet Autonomous Region. Due to its elevation, all of the wagons have oxygen-adding devices.
Top performances are the order of the day at the Friedhelm Loh Group. The record holders on this page are also in top form.
Men of action Guoliang Tunnel Road in Henan Province, China, is 1.2 kilometres long and runs right through a mountain. Because the government had no intention of ending Guoliang’s isolation by building a road, the village leader rounded up the thirteen strongest men there and they all got to work with hammers and chisels. The fourmetre-wide tunnel opened in the late 1970s after five years of work.
Little gymnasts Moles can dig up to 30 centimetres per minute. Due to the narrowness and the elongated shape of its body, it’s impossible for the creatures to make a “normal” 180-degree turn. In order to change direction in the darkness beneath the meadows and gardens nonetheless, the mole turns a sort of somersault.
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Thick hair
Expensive tunnel
The narrowest tunnel in the world is less than 50 nanometres in diameter, about one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany and Rice University in the United States bore the tunnel in graphite, making it possible to structure the interior of materials at the nanometre level.
Not every tunnel serves public transport. In 2013, thieves who remain unidentified to this day dug a tunnel from a nearby underground car park to a bank vault. After digging a tunnel 50 metres long, they emptied 227 safe-deposit boxes – which sounds like the script for a Hollywood film. They made off with a haul worth around 10 million euros.
be top | Magazine of the Friedhelm Loh Group
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01 | 2016
An overview of the Friedhelm Loh Group companies RITTAL GmbH & Co. KG Auf dem Stützelberg 35745 Herborn, Germany Phone +49 2772 505-0 www.rittal.com RITTAL – The System. Faster – better – everywhere.
EPLAN Software & Service GmbH & Co. KG An der alten Ziegelei 2 40789 Monheim am Rhein, Germany Phone +49 2173 3964-0 www.eplan.de
CIDEON GmbH & Co. KG Tzschirnerstraße 5a 02625 Bautzen, Germany Phone +49 3591 3744-0 www.cideon.de
EPLAN – efficient engineering.
CIDEON – efficient engineering.
STAHLO STAHLSERVICE GMBH & CO. KG Kasseler Straße 27 35683 Dillenburg, Germany Phone +49 2771 302-0 www.stahlo.de
LKH Kunststoffwerk GmbH & Co. KG Auf der Birke 2 56412 Heiligenroth, Germany Phone +49 2602 99942-0 www.lkh-kunststoff.de
STAHLO – Processing steel straight from the line.
LKH – We make more out of plastic.
Thank you! Premiere Beginning with this issue, the magazine – which already is published in German and English versions – is now available in Chinese.
Loyalty We would like to offer our sincere thanks for your suggestions and support. Thanks to your feedback, we’re able to put together a unique and high-quality mix of exciting topics. Its success has also been confirmed by external specialist juries…
Distinguished … because the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts in the United States awarded be top a Communicators Award in Gold.
Publication details Be top Magazine of the Friedhelm Loh Group Issue 01 | 2016 ISSN 2195-3198 Publisher Friedhelm Loh Stiftung & Co. KG Vorstandsvorsitzender: Dr.-Ing. E. h. Friedhelm Loh Rudolf-Loh-Straße 1, 35708 Haiger, Germany Phone +49 2773 924-0 E-mail: betop@friedhelm-loh-group.com www.friedhelm-loh-group.com Responsible editor Regina Wiechens-Schwake (V.i.S.d.P.) Editor-in-chief and coordination Hans-Robert Koch, Patricia Späth, Peter Sting Realisation and design muehlhausmoers corporate communications gmbh, Cologne, Germany
01 | 2016
| Magazine of the Friedhelm Loh Group
Editorial staff Joscha Duhme, Rebecca Lorenz; English translation: Adam Blauhut, Paul Outlaw, Anthony B. Heric; English copy-editing: Ginger A. Diekmann, Niamh Warde; Consultation: Andrea Hardt, Martin Planer, Katrin Schemmann Authors Elke Bieber, Elisabeth Biedermann, Nina Buchheister, Meinolf Droege, Joscha Duhme, Julia Frese, Christoph Irion, Hans-Robert Koch, Lisa Krekel, Dr. Jörg Lantzsch, Rebecca Lorenz, Patricia Späth Art Direction Christiane von Bonin Image Editing Stefan Hirsch, Jana Voigt
Photo credits Page 1: Plainpicture; page 3: F.L.G.; page 4 (top): Anna Thut; page 4 (middle right and left): Valéry Kloubert; page 4 (bottom left): Michael Koch; page 4 (bottom right): Fritz Beck; pages 6–7: Plainpicture; page 8: Getty Images; page 9: Janicki Industries; pages 10–11: Achim Käflein; page 13: Ina Escherich; page 14: istock; page 15 (top): istock; page 15 (bottom): fotosearch; pages 17–19: Valéry Kloubert (m); page 20: (top right and left): Mikasa; page 20 (bottom): Valéry Kloubert; page 21 (top): Mikasa; page 21 (bottom): Kim Kyong-Hoon/Reuters; page 22 (top and middle): Valéry Kloubert; page 22 (bottom): shutterstock; page 23 (top): F.L.G.; page 23 (bottom): Valéry Kloubert; pages 27–28: Fritz Beck; page 30: F.L.G.; page 31 (left): Processing; page 31 (top right): istock (m); page 31 (bottom right): F.L.G.; page 33: Plainpicture; page 35: Stocksy; pages 36–37: F.L.G.; pages 38–41: Valéry Kloubert; page 42: F.L.G.; page 43: Valéry Kloubert; page 45: F.L.G./Herwig; pages 46–50: Valéry Kloubert; page 51: F.L.G.; pages 52–53: Valéry Kloubert; page 54: RAIL. ONE; page 55: Valéry Kloubert; pages 56–59: Wintersteiger AG; pages 60–63: Michael Koch; page 64: Getty Images; pages 66–69: Michael Koch; page 70 (top left): Katharina Weber; page 70 (top right und bottom): F.L.G.; page 71: F.L.G.; pages 72–77: Anna Thut; page 78 (tunnel): Herrenknecht; page 78 (all other motifs): istock; page 79 (middle right): Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts. © Friedhelm Loh Group 2016, ISSN 2195-3198
Graphics and production Andreas Kellotat, Katrin Kemmerling, Michael Konrad Print and lithography Wilhelm Becker Grafischer Betrieb e. K., Haiger, Germany; purpur GmbH, Cologne, Germany | be top
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Friedhelm Loh Stiftung & Co. KG Rudolf-Loh-StraĂ&#x;e 1 35708 Haiger, Germany Phone +49 2773 924-0 Fax +49 2773 924-3129 E-mail: info@friedhelm-loh-group.com