SPS Connect took place from 24 to 26 November 2020 and offered an extensive program on important topics and trends in the automation industry. With a total of 120 program items in 3 parallel streams and several roundtables, the most popular sessions had up to 1,300 live viewers.

This broad spectrum of specialist knowledge is now available on demand on the platform, so that visitors and other participants can immerse themselves in the offer at their leisure until the end of December.

Patrick Bruder, Business Development Manager Automation at Lenze SE, gave a presentation entitled "On the way to Industry 4.0 with the digital twin" on the main topic of "Digital twins as an integral part of the realization of Industry 4.0". The presentation included insights specifically designed for machine builders and end users on which standards need to be met and which concrete steps need to be taken in order to remain competitive.

Sick continued this topic with the presentation "Virtual commissioning of sensors as a digital twin component" and gave an outlook on how sensors can be physically mapped using valid behavioral models and how real sensor functions can be used seamlessly from the concept phase to virtual commissioning.

Microsoft Germany spoke to a wide audience about how a distributed industrial cloud improves future-proof production processes; a relevant topic for all manufacturers moving from automated machines to autonomous end-to-end manufacturing processes.

Balluff GmbH's roundtable on "Artificial intelligence: What are the benefits of AI and how do I get started?" discussed the importance and benefits of artificial intelligence in an industrial context with renowned experts.

The highlights continued with the roundtable on sensor solutions for smart factories by Sensata Technologies. The leading provider of innovative, sensor-rich solutions demonstrated approaches to increasing performance and efficiency through intelligent sensor technology, with a focus on topics such as digital, wireless, sensor fusion, CANopen, IO-Link and functional safety.

The presentation by Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG on "Traditional and next-generation automation technologies: PC-based control - from on-premises to the cloud" offered insights into the history of PC-based control technology at Beckhoff Automation and the milestones on the road to its success. In addition, the participants learned about the advantages of PC-based control technology and how these can be further expanded to include new cloud-based communication mechanisms and infrastructures

Bosch Rexroth AG organized a roundtable on ctrlX AUTOMATION entitled: "ctrlX AUTOMATION - Two Steps Ahead", in which the changes in the production world were highlighted.

The discussion focused on the need for a new level of agility in order to keep pace with the speed of global innovation. The solution discussed is intended to overcome the traditional boundaries between machine control, the IT world and the Internet of Things.