Direct current is our vision for a sustainable installation in the All-Electric-Society. Let's take off together in 2023!

The ZVEI working party ODCA (Open Direct Current Alliance) was founded at the end of last year to represent the interests of the international electrical industry in the field of direct current technology. This includes building an international direct current ecosystem and establishing direct current technology for many applications in the manufacturing and process industries as well as adjacent markets by addressing, discussing and evaluating relevant technical, regulatory and economic aspects.

 

In mid-December 2022, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Wegener, spokesman for ZVEI's Industry 4.0 management group, presented the ZVEI show case PCF@Control Cabinet to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Transport Minister Volker Wissing, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Anna Christmann, BMWK Commissioner for the Digital Economy, at the Digital Summit. The Digital Summit is organised annually by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) and the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV).

The lever to a climate-friendly future lies in comprehensive electrification and digitization. On the road to a sustainable economy, the innovative automation industry has an important role to play. Digital transformation in automation provides the basis for greater resilience, flexibility and sustainability in production. In the past, the ZVEI Automation Division has shown impressive examples of how this path is to be taken. Major CO2 savings have been achieved, for example, with developments in the DC-INDUSTRIE direct current research project and the digital nameplate.

The past year has been demanding for the automation industry. Despite all this, a number of milestones were set that will be driven forward this year. In September last year, the Industrial Digital Twin Association (IDTA) was founded. It provides the appropriate platform to fill the idea of the asset administration shell with life, to generate partners and supporters and to create standards. First results will be presented this year.

As an expert body for research and innovation projects, the ZVEI Automation Research Community (FG Automation) brings together the leading German manufacturers and renowned research institutes from the fields of automation technology and Industrie 4.0.