The 29th SPS IPC Drives event is looking very positive and testifies to the importance of the exhibition for smart and digital automation. Some 1,700 automation providers from all over the world are expected in Nuremberg on November 27-29, 2018. Products and solutions, as well as trend-setting technologies of the future, will be on show.

As in the previous year, Industry 4.0 and digital change are topics of focus at SPS IPC Drives 2018. Exhibitors will present not only their solutions, but also various products and example applications for digital transformation. This will be accompanied by topic-related showcases and presentations at the exhibition forums.

The firm commitment that IT companies such as SAP bring to exploring industrial communication topics (such as OPC UA and TSN) shows how the IT and automation industries are increasingly merging. This process is also reflected in the hall occupation at SPS IPC Drives: in 2018, the topic of software and IT in manufacturing will be on display in Halls 5 and 6. Industrial web services, virtual product development and design, digital business platforms, IT/OT technologies, fog/edge and cloud computing, and many other topics will be covered here. Cybersecurity is also being addressed by numerous vendors, who will offer explanatory demonstrations at their booths of how companies can protect themselves against online attacks.

Christian Wolf, chairman of the exhibitor advisory board, also sees thiscontinued development in a positive light: “We exhibitors are lookingforward to what promises to be another successful SPS IPC Drives –with an additional hall, topics of focus that have been evolved, and forthe first time under the theme of ‘smart and digital automation’. Thistagline particularly underscores the convergence of automation and IT as well as the positive development of the exhibition as industrial digitization.

To tie in with the development of these topics, the exhibition will stage itsfirst hackathon under the banner of “Digital Ideas for Smart Automation”.The event is intended to enable participants to jointly develop useful and creative software products for the automation industry. The results will be presented, and the award ceremony held on the first day of the exhibition.

Following last year’s success, there will again be guided tours on ITsecurity in automation, smart production, and smart connectivity in 2018. Trade visitors can use these tours to gain targeted and focused information on key innovations and exhibits in these special topic areas.

Attendees can also obtain extensive insights into specific topics and ask providers for advice on their particular requirements at the joint booths:

• • • • • Automation meets IT, Hall 6
        • MES goes automation, Hall 6
        • Wireless in automation, Hall 5
        • AMA Center for Sensors and Measurement, Hall 4A

      In addition, the forums to be held by the German industry associations VDMA (Hall 5) and ZVEI (Hall 6) will offer high-quality, topic-specific presentations and podium discussions. There, attendees can learn more about the latest industry subjects and share their thoughts with the experts on hand.This year’s Automation 4.0 Summit will once again complement theexhibition program on the first two days of the event and address topics from the Industry 4.0 space:

      • Edge computing in industry – possibilities and limits
      • TSN and OPC UA in industrial environments
      • IoT platforms in industry
      • Sensors for Industry 4.0

  At SPS IPC Drives, attendees from all across the globe benefit from the tremendous amount of information on offer and direct access to the latest automation products. This is also confirmed by chairman of theexhibitor advisory board Christian Wolf: “For my part, I hope the many expert visitors will continue to use SPS IPC Drives not only as a working exhibition with clearly defined tasks, but also to intensively evaluate the real-world opportunities of the smart factory with exhibitors. I am certain this year’s exhibition will once again be an absolute highlight forexhibitors and visitors alike, thanks also to the good economic conditions.”

For more information on SPS IPC Drives, free day passes, special travel deals, and tips on getting ready for the event, check out sps-exhibition.com. This site also offers a layout of the premises along with an overview of the exhibitors and halls to help you plan your visit.