Whether it’s factories, buildings, process plants or transportation systems, automation technology has always been the key driver of productivity. And the future of automation offers much more: the goal could be called 'automating the automation'.
Take the manufacturing domain as an example: The era when we had to choose between cheap, standardised, mass-produced products and customised, very expensive ones is nearly over. Production machines are very good at performing the same repetitive tasks at a high speed, but even today it’s still time-consuming for automation experts to reconfigure them.
Digitalisation and the related emerging technologies – such as artificial intelligence, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), digital twins, edge and the cloud – have brought about a profound change and will enable the creation of a new class of more flexible and easy-to-use automation solutions with a significantly reduced engineering effort.
Siemens strives for technological leadership in fields of technology and innovation that are of overriding importance to the company. These Core Technologies are crucial to the long-term success of Siemens and its customers. Experts from the global research department of technology and the various businesses work together here, consolidating the company's R&D activities.