The company received the award for a hygienic compact thermometer with a self-calibrating sensor for safety and quality-relevant process temperature measurements. These are required in the food and pharmaceutical industries, for example. The automatic temperature calibration of the sensor takes place via a physical fixed point based on the material-specific and long-term stable Curie temperature of an internal reference sensor integrated in the sensor. The fully automated inline calibration of the temperature sensor is audit-proof and avoids additional work processes and system downtime for regular recalibration.

The jury, chaired by Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Wolfgang Wahlster, Chairman of the Management Board of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), was impressed by this product, as there are currently self-monitoring temperature sensors on the market, but no comparably precise solution for automatic, fully traceable self-calibration of a temperature sensor for the process industry based on the Curie temperature.

He explained the jury's decision: "Smart sensor technology is an important driver of the next stage of Industry 4.0. Precisely because the density of sensor technology increases dramatically in a smart factory, the audit-proof self-calibration of sensors without system downtime becomes an economic success factor. This is precisely where the innovative product from Endress+Hauser comes in, making a contribution to the continuous process verification and production-related quality control that we are striving for with Industry 4.0."

"From a small company to a global player - that is the success story of many Hannover Messe exhibitors. This also applies to Endress+Hauser. The Hermes Award is further proof of the innovative strength of this world-class family business. The award-winning product makes a significant contribution to the implementation of Industry 4.0 in the process industry," said Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Deutsche Messe AG.

In addition to the winner Endress+Hauser Messtechnik from Weil am Rhein, the following companies were nominated: Alpha Laser, Puchheim, GBS German Bionic Systems GmbH, Augsburg, TH Ingolstadt/Continental AG, Ingolstadt/Hanover, and Upskill, Washington, DC, USA.

The award-winning and nominated products and processes will be exhibited at the companies' stands during the Hannover Messe 2018. In addition, the innovation stand "tech transfer - Gateway2Innovation" in Hall 2 will provide detailed information about all nominated submissions for the Hermes Award 2018 and the companies. These were honored there on Monday, April 23, by Federal Research Minister Karliczek and Professor Wahlster.