20 years of Endress+Hauser Digital Solutions

Digital communication

Mara Hofacker, 04.02.2020, 11:42

20 years of Digital Solutions

Endress+Hauser is celebrating an anniversary: Endress+Hauser Digital Solutions has been responsible for all topics relating to digital communication and automation solutions for 20 years. The focus is now on applications for the IIoT.

Images

The Field Xpert from Endress+Hauser brings modern tablet technology to the system; the Netilion Library makes relevant documents from the measuring points available at all times. © Endress+Hauser

According to Managing Director Dr. Rolf Birkhofer, the founding of Endress+Hauser Digital Solutions in 2000 was a groundbreaking strategic decision. "We bundled important topics relating to the digitalization of process automation in a separate company," he explains. "We were characterized by a real pioneering and inventive spirit right from the start. This spirit can still be felt today - for example in the development and operation of our own IIoT platform."

Since the company was founded, the number of employees has steadily increased. More than 180 people now work for Endress+Hauser Digital Solutions - 160 of them in Reinach in the Swiss canton of Basellandschaft and around 20 in Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany, which was added as a second location in 2016. The employees there primarily develop products, solutions and services for Industry 4.0.

A home for digitalization: Endress+Hauser Digital Solutions takes care of all topics relating to digital communication and automation solutions within the Group. © Endress+Hauser

From the digital fieldbus to the Internet of Things

In the early years, Digital Solutions focused primarily on communication technology solutions and products. Digital communication protocols and technologies such as Profibus, Foundation Fieldbus and HART characterized this phase. Another focus was the integration of measuring devices with the help of device descriptions (EDD) or FDT/DTM technology.

20 years of Endress+Hauser Digital Solutions: "The pioneering and inventive spirit still characterizes our company today," says Managing Director Dr. Rolf Birkhofer. © Endress+Hauser

Today, the work is generally focused on applications for Industry 4.0. To this end, the specialists have developed the IIoT ecosystem Netilion. It ensures simple connectivity in industrial plants and enables digital services via the internet. Endress+Hauser has already launched Netilion in more than 20 countries.

"For Endress+Hauser Digital Solutions, the mission for the future is clear," says Rolf Birkhofer. "We will develop further digital services based on the Netilion platform, offer additional devices and communication protocols and provide our customers with a compelling experience across all contact points in the digital world."

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