The thematic blocks of the Automation 4.0 Summit will each take place in two parallel tracks - Sessions 1 and 2 on the first day of the trade fair, Sessions 3 and 4 on the second day.

- Session 1 "Edge computing in industry - possibilities and limits" will get to the bottom of the question of which tasks should be processed directly in the cloud and which in the edge or fog component. The presentations will also show how existing tasks - such as control tasks - as well as new disciplines such as AI affect the computer architecture used. Security and networking aspects will also be highlighted.

- Session 2 "TSN and OPC UA in the industry" deals intensively with OPC UA in conjunction with the real-time Ethernet variant TSN. The session will provide compact and well-founded answers to the following questions: What still needs to be done in terms of standardization? How quickly can/will TSN establish itself in the factory? What are the benefits of the VDMA's Companion Specifications? What do machine builders and end users need to demand from automation specialists? What plans do automation companies already have with regard to TSN?

- Session 3 "IoT platforms in industry" will examine how their market presence is changing the value creation structures for plant and machine manufacturers and operators and how the individual platforms can be categorized. Possible business models will also be highlighted. The speakers will also present individual IoT platforms in detail.

- Finally, session 4 "Sensors for Industry 4.0" will clarify what sensor manufacturers and users urgently need to pay attention to - for example with regard to the sensor principle, an edge or cloud connection, the use of transmission protocols such as REST, MQTT or OPC UA and, last but not least, the integration of AI algorithms.

To enable one-day visitors to SPS IPC Drives to attend both the trade fair and the Automation 4.0 Summit, the congress event will not start until 10:30 am and will end at around 2:30 pm. This means that there are still five hours available for a visit to the trade fair despite attending the congress.

The summit is aimed at specialists and managers from the manufacturing industry, technical management, sales and service departments of mechanical engineering companies as well as product management, sales and technical management departments of automation technology companies.

Further information can be found at: www.automation-40.de