The industry is under massive pressure. In order for companies to remain competitive, products must be developed faster, produced more cost-effectively and bring significant added value. Machine and plant manufacturers achieve this through the intelligent interaction of software, hardware and automation. At the Hannover Messe (Hall 27, Stand D50), Rittal and Eplan will be demonstrating how this three-step process can also create major speed and scaling effects for smaller companies. Solutions from engineering and sourcing to system technology and automation to service will be shown. Highlights include the further development of the Eplan product portfolio, the presentation of Eplan Smart Sourcing and Product Change Notification (PCN), new platforms for power supply and cooling for industry and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled IT infrastructure, a new, compact fully automatic wire assembly machine and a future-proof portfolio of cooling units and chillers for the new EU requirements for refrigerants.
"In industry, speed is becoming the decisive currency. If you don't keep up, you lose out in the competition," said Uwe Scharf, managing director sales Germany and Europe at Rittal. "Software, hardware and automation must function as an integrated system. This interaction creates the speed and scalability that companies need to plan, produce and operate their applications more efficiently."
Source: Rittal
Data consistency: The basis for fast industrial processes
The starting point is engineering. This is where the data that controls planning, procurement, production and operation is created. The more structured and consistent this data is, the more processes can be automated and accelerated.
"The opportunities offered by automation and AI can only be exploited if the database is right," said Sebastian Seitz, managing director of Eplan. "Well-prepared engineering data is becoming a strategic resource for industry." At the Hannover Messe, Eplan will be demonstrating how engineering processes can be simplified and data consistency consistently expanded. With the further development of the Eplan software, the product portfolio has been significantly streamlined and geared even more closely to typical user workflows. Engineering disciplines can be better integrated and form the basis for a digital twin as a single source of truth.
On this data basis, new perspectives are emerging along the entire value chain, which will be presented in Hanover. With Eplan Smart Sourcing, the availability and delivery times of components will be visible as early as the engineering stage. Designers can see at an early stage whether components are available on time or alternatives should be planned — long coordination loops with purchasing or suppliers are then a thing of the past.
Component change management is also becoming more transparent. PCN is the keyword. This can be used to transmit information about changes to components. The Eplan software receives this information from the component manufacturer via the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) and uses it to update the Data Portal. As a result, a message appears in the portal — automatically, consistently and error-free. On this basis, users receive early information about discontinuations, technical changes or important updates and can take them directly into account in engineering.
From data to automated production
Structured engineering data also forms the basis for automated production processes. At the Hannover Messe, Rittal will be demonstrating how this data basis can be directly transferred to faster and more stable manufacturing processes in plant engineering. With the new Wire Terminal WT L series, Rittal Automation Systems is demonstrating how smaller control system manufacturers can also benefit from the advantages of fully automatic wire assembly. The compact and economically attractive new development lowers the barrier to entry for automation and makes these technologies accessible to a larger number of companies.
Digital industry needs a new type of IT infrastructure for AI
The Hannover Messe shows the potential of AI for industry in countless use cases. In order to apply them on a large scale, new technological territory is also needed in the IT infrastructure. AI and high-performance computing are driving the power density in data centers to a new level, which requires completely new concepts, especially in power and cooling.
At the Hannover Messe, Rittal will be showcasing innovative infrastructure solutions that enable the necessary data center turnaround for AI. New architectures bring power distribution closer to IT systems and enable modular power supply directly in the white space of data centers, including direct current. Power distribution platforms such as RiLineX and Ri4Power create the technological basis for this. One example of such architectures are so-called sidecar solutions, in which power electronics are installed in their own power racks directly next to the server racks. They enable scalable and standardized power supply for high-density data center infrastructures.
With increasing power density — also due to the use of AI — cooling is also becoming more of a focus. Classic air-based concepts are reaching their physical limits, chips have to be cooled directly with liquid. Rittal is therefore presenting solutions for direct chip cooling at a special exhibition, which also open up new possibilities for heat recovery and thus address the conflict of goals between AI use and carbon dioxide footprint.
Visitors will also find solutions there that meet the growing demand for industry and outdoor applications such as battery storage systems. Here, regulatory requirements are changing the technology. From 2027, stricter requirements for refrigerants in refrigerators and chillers will apply in the EU. Rittal provides a future-proof portfolio for this purpose, which enables machine and plant manufacturers to design their applications in compliance with regulations at an early stage and to make them sustainable in the long term.
At the Hannover Messe, Rittal and Eplan will be demonstrating how digital value creation works with coordinated software, hardware and automation solutions: end-to-end data in engineering, automated production and infrastructure solutions that make the dynamics of digital applications possible in the first place. This creates new industrial strength and increased competitiveness in industry and the digital economy with system expertise.
