Editorial 11/2024
Roll up your sleeves!
The last trade fair highlight of the year will be SPS in Nuremberg from November 12 to 14. This is where the international automation industry, users and interested parties meet to present, test and discuss the latest automation, digitalization and smart factory products. Of course, we will be there again this year. A detailed special section on the trade fair awaits you in this issue of INDUSTRIAL Production. Starting on page 12, you will find technical articles, product news and further information about SPS.
At Motek, we recently organized a very well-attended forum with presentations on artificial intelligence in industry. Finally, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel discussion on the topic of "Skilled workers, energy prices and climate protection - can Germany still be saved as a production location?". Industry experts discussed whether the German economy is really in as bad a shape as it often seems. I was surprised that the insiders' assessment was much more positive than I had assumed.
To summarize: Yes, we can still be saved! Germany as a business location is not really in danger, according to the clear tenor. However, the panellists warned that there is an urgent need to show more courage in the face of the numerous changes, to move forward, to be prepared to fail and to optimize approaches where necessary. New ideas need to be developed and there needs to be an exchange between companies in order to pool knowledge and tackle the challenges together. It was not helpful that many companies acted in a protectionist manner instead of sharing information with competitors - and ultimately fellow campaigners from a global perspective - and working together to make progress.
In any case, according to the participants in the discussion, the location is not in an imbalance. However, there is a danger that society is looking too much for simple answers. We have to be prepared to go to great lengths. Innovative strength and freedom - both financially and on the part of politicians - are the key to regaining our former strength. Education was also addressed: According to this, there is no lack of quality in education, but it is sometimes difficult to motivate young people to take up demanding jobs in the industry.
There was much to criticize in Germany, but all participants agreed that we are far from being on the brink. It is crucial that we make more consistent use of our great potential and thus move forward again in international comparison. The most important thing is to roll up our sleeves and get going. You can read a report on the forum and the panel discussion from page 10.
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