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Automation crucial for achieving climate targets
The goal to a climate-friendly future lies in comprehensive electrification and digitization. On the road to a sustainable economy, the innovative automation industry has a major role to play. At the ZVEI Automation Press Conference held on the occasion of the SPS trade fair in Nuremberg, which was cancelled at short notice, the Automation trade association showed examples of how this path is to be taken.
In the case of a control cabinet, a digital product passport was used to show the CO2 footprint of a product throughout the entire supply chain. 91 percent of the CO2 emissions occur in the supply chain through materials, transport and processing and only 9 percent at the manufacturer through energy or direct emissions. With the help of the Industrie 4.0 digital twin, the Asset Administration Shell (AAS), data about the entire supply chain is brought together and helps to make the CO2 footprint visible and to take effective measures to reduce CO2.
The digital product passport is based on the digital nameplate. This can be used to electronically store all device information along the entire value chain, thus replacing the previous paper documentation and saving costs and resources. The digital nameplate concept developed by the ZVEI is being discussed as the European Digital Product Passport in the European Commission and is anchored in the draft of the European Battery Ordinance.
Meanwhile, the automation economy in Germany is developing positively and is almost in line with 2019 levels. The trade association anticipates high single-digit growth in Germany this year, and above-average growth is also expected in 2022. Climate protection measures and the digitalization of factories and supply chains mean that the industry is optimistic about the future.