Jury nominates three technological innovations

The winner will be announced during the opening ceremony of the Hannover Messe on March 30, 2025. Cem Özdemir, Federal Minister of Education and Research, will present the award.

The Hermes Award is one of the most prestigious industry awards and is presented every year at the Hannover Messe for an outstanding innovation. Products and solutions with a particularly high degree of technological innovation are honored. Market maturity and cost-effectiveness are further criteria that play an important role in the awarding of the prize.

Jury chairman and President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, says: "Innovations have never been more important than they are today, because they are the basis for solving the great challenges of our time. With this in mind, the numerous outstanding entries for the Hermes Award make me optimistic about the future. Once again this year, the jury had to choose just three projects from a large number of excellent submissions - a difficult task. The three selected projects clearly demonstrate how new technologies contribute to overcoming practical challenges and how innovations become a real competitive advantage."

Igus, Cologne: The nominated product Mobile Shore Power Outlet (iMSPO) is an innovation in shore power supply for ports. The system offers a mobile and flexible solution in that it can position sockets for ships along a berth up to a distance of 400 meters exactly where they are needed. The power cables are guided in an energy chain supported by rollers, which is specially designed for long distances and heavy loads. This protects the cables from wear and tear and avoids tripping hazards. The system has both ecological and economic advantages: Emissions of harmful substances are reduced in the ports as no diesel generators need to be used. At the same time, the durable, easy-to-maintain system helps to reduce operating costs and maximize the economic benefits for port operators.

Schaeffler, Herzogenaurach: The newly developed XZU rolling bearing was nominated. This is a double-row angular contact needle roller bearing that has the same mounting dimensions as the crossed roller bearings available on the market and is therefore easily interchangeable on a one-to-one basis. The arrangement of very small cylindrical roller-type rolling elements in a double-row bearing increases the tilting rigidity by 30 percent, while at the same time reducing frictional resistance by 20 percent and increasing path accuracy by 40 percent. This has a direct effect on efficiency and productivity and therefore also on energy consumption per component. The market offers a wide range of applications for this new rolling bearing. For example, it is highly beneficial in robotics or assembly automation as well as in machine tools.

Siemens, Munich: The nominated solution is AI-powered "Industrial Copilots" that increase workforce efficiency by eliminating repetitive tasks and increasing productivity. For example, Industrial Copilot for the Siemens engineering framework TIA Portal, which has more than 120,000 users worldwide, enables engineers of all experience levels to write accurate, trustworthy code much faster. Siemens offers an industrial-grade suite of Industrial Copilots that covers the industrial value chain holistically - from design and planning to engineering, operation and service. This solution makes generative AI accessible to many companies. Both cloud and on-premises versions are offered, which work locally on the store floor to meet different requirements.