What I enjoy most about attending the Control trade fair in Stuttgart is the opportunity to discuss quality with the specialists from manufacturing companies from around the world who visit our stand. This year’s conversations were particularly interesting because they confirmed smart manufacturing is entering a new stage of maturity. Many of the manufacturers I spoke to have embraced the benefits of smart manufacturing and are now looking at concrete solutions for harnessing connected, data-driven metrology innovation that drives productivity.
Among the big pulls on Hexagon’s stand were recent innovations that help manufacturers capture, analyse and use metrology data to optimise quality processes, and even feed back to the design or production stage to create an autonomous ecosystem.
Among our most popular solutions on display were the Leica Absolute Tracker ATS600, our new range of Absolute Arms, and our DPA Industrial handheld digital camera-based photogrammetry systems for in situ production control and monitoring. There was also huge interest in our APODIUS Vision System 2D and APODIUS Vision System 3D for inspecting carbon-fibre composite components. And visitors over the course of four days were keen to find out more about Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence’s new online shop, which offers customers a choice of several hundred metrology accessories.
Not everyone who dropped by our stand is at the same stage in their journey towards smart manufacturing.
Of the 28 000 visitors from 33 countries who attended this year’s show, some are in the early phase of a digital transformation that will enable them to increase the agility, productivity and autonomy of how they manufacture. Others are already advanced in adopting the connected metrology software and hardware that allow them to make better informed production decisions more quickly. But whatever their existing installation, visitors were keen to hear how our solutions can play a role in supporting their individual smart manufacturing strategies. And for the first time two of Hexagon’s HR specialists joined us on the show floor to speak to candidates interested in a career in manufacturing, enabling us to identify and develop the skills that will drive future innovation across our industry.
Contact your local Hexagon representative to find out more about the smart manufacturing solutions on display at Control.
