Added value on board – Siemens launches Europe-wide Integrated Drive Systems Roadshow

Siemens is hitting the road once again – this time to showcase the benefits of Integrated Drive Technology

The SPS IPC Drives on November 25 in Nuremberg marked the launch of the Europe-wide Integrated Drive Systems Roadshow. The tour plan takes in over a dozen European countries and is scheduled to run on into 2016. Under the banner of “Extra Value Integrated”, the IDS truck will be touring with application-specific exhibits and live demos over an area of 65 square meters to demonstrate how industrial processes can be made more efficient, more reliable and more productive with Integrated Drive Systems.

Stephan Kähler is responsible for organizing the Roadshow and the truck fit-out. I talked to him about the underlying concept and highlights of the exhibition.

Stefan, the Roadshow is touring under the banner of “Integrated Drive Systems - Extra Value Integrated”. What’s behind this slogan?

Our IDS Roadshow is designed to demonstrate that Integrated Drive Systems create added value for a whole raft of applications. The mobile exhibition will focus on the concrete benefits to be gained by customers from ideally matched drive and control technology, based on our extensive portfolio of products, solutions and services. The Roadshow sets out to illustrate how industrial operations can fully maximize their optimization potential and achieve greater efficiency, flexibility and availability with integrated solutions. After all, these factors are instrumental when it comes to gaining a sharper competitive edge. This is precisely what we want to achieve under the banner of “Extra Value Integrated”.

In concrete terms, how does the tour communicate this message?

The IDS Roadshow truck we will be using to visit a good number of European countries is equipped with wide-ranging different IDS application examples from different fields of industry. This will allow our customers and interested experts from all around Europe to experience hands-on how Integrated Drive Technology works and what benefits are associated with it. Alongside interactive live demonstrations, our experts will of course be on hand to provide visitors with comprehensive information and advice.

What kinds of drive technology will be on show in the truck, and which aspects do you consider to be particularly important?

The exhibits featured in our truck cover wide-ranging topic areas and applications from across different industries:

Intralogistics and container conveyor technology

Bulk material handling

Vertical mills

Pumps, fans and compressors

Medium-voltage applications, for example in the fields oil and gas, marine, metal, mining and cement

On the basis of application examples, we will be demonstrating the different levels on which our solutions are brought to bear. Integration can be horizontal – in other words on the drive train level between the motor, converter, gear and coupling - or also continue vertically into the automation environment. Here, the integration of drives into our TIA Portal Engineering Framework can have a focal role to play. The third and also vitally important level is that of lifecycle integration. Using suitable software and coordinated services across every phase of an Integrated Drive System’s lifecycle, this opens up decisive potential for optimization – enabling greater productivity, enhanced efficiency and a high level of availability. The Roadshow will pay particular attention to ensuring visitors are made aware of the added value which can be leveraged through lifecycle integration.

As you already mentioned, the IDS Roadshow will be visiting a number of European countries. Are plans already in place?

Yes, preparations are running at full speed. We are planning and preparing stops together with our colleagues in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Holland, Italy, Norway, Austria, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the UK. Our planning horizon reaches well into 2016. The truck launches from Germany, where it is currently on show at the SPS IPC Drives in Nuremberg, with another stop planned for the Hannover Messe 2015.