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The challenges for mechanical and plant engineering

With an annual turnover of 221 billion euros and around one million direct employees in 2021, mechanical and plant engineering is considered one of the leading industries in the German economy. It reflects the entire spectrum of German industry's capabilities and is a key driver of innovation in areas such as Industry 4.0, resource-conserving environmental protection, energy efficiency and electromobility. Process innovations have made it possible to continuously reduce average unit costs. This development is partly due to increased investment in new innovative industrial process technologies in the course of digitalization and the adaptation of Industry 4.0. Some companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector have already been able to develop unique selling points that are unmatched by the competition. However, supply bottlenecks in the wake of lockdowns and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are putting considerable pressure on the production systems of German companies. Increased demands from customers and government regulation on the sustainability of plants and supply chains must also be mastered by companies. The speakers from the mechanical and plant engineering sector at the 30th Munich Management Colloquium will talk about how the opportunities of advancing digitalization can be further exploited and how the challenges of the modern world can be managed with resilient and sustainable approaches.

The Neura Robotics GmbH is addressing the problem of labor shortages, for example, with its products. This problem will be of major importance in the future due to demographic change in industrialized countries. With LARA (Lightweight Agile Robotic Assistant), Neura Robotics has developed a lightweight robot that supports people at work in a collaborative manner and is therefore intended to alleviate staff shortages in the long term, particularly in SMEs. LARA demonstrates high industrial performance in terms of speed, precision, protection and cost efficiency.

The Voith GmbH & Co. KGaA develops innovative solutions for its customers with its systems. With OnCare.Acoustic, hydropower plants can be monitored intelligently based on noise. Microphones record ambient noise from the machines, which is then analyzed for deviations from the target state. The aim is to enable predictive maintenance of the plant and prevent unplanned downtime of the hydropower plant. The continuous analysis of the recorded data also enables the long-term operation of the machines to be optimized.  

The MAPAL Precision Tools Dr. Kress KG is also dedicated to avoiding downtime when using milling machines. By using methods from the field of artificial intelligence, the user can be provided with early warnings via trend analyses, thus avoiding damage to the workpiece or the device. For this purpose, the machines are represented beforehand by means of a so-called digital twin based on the recorded data, thus creating transparency over their product life cycle.

Although wind energy is already making an important contribution to decarbonization, the Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy RecyclableBlade enables wind turbine rotor blades to be recycled for the first time, making an important contribution to the circular economy. Previously, such components were disposed of in landfill sites at the end of their product life cycle, wasting valuable raw materials and polluting the environment. RecyclableBlade thus joins a large number of sustainability projects with which Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy aims to achieve a completely recyclable wind power plant by 2040.

The GEA Group for example, is addressing issues relating to sustainability and resilience in milk production with its innovative and autonomous feeding machine GEA DairyFeed F4500. The automation of such machines can reduce costs and CO₂ emissions on farms. At the same time, it can also increase flexibility with regard to unexpected events and thus the company's resilience.

In March 2023, the Munich Management Colloquium will offer the opportunity to learn solutions from industry experts and take sustainable growth paths through the change processes presented. The company representatives in attendance will address the question of how sustainable and crisis-proof business models can be developed and how the competitiveness of Germany as an industrial location can be secured in the long term.

Among others, the following experts from the field of mechanical and plant engineering will speak on the topic of "Innovation - sustainability - resilience" lecture.