Mr. Moos­mann, what require­ments are driving your customers forward most?

The range of require­ments is as diverse as the various sectors for which we imple­ment drive solu­tions, but there are a few over­ar­ching devel­op­ments: drives must be ever more compact, powerful, intel­li­gent and suit­able for remote usage. In addi­tion, all users have the common aim of imple­menting solu­tions that are as tailored as possible – as quickly as possible. We have the right answers in our product port­folio to respond to all these require­ments.

But fast avail­ability must be a topic that is partic­u­larly impor­tant at the moment?

It goes without saying that we are also feeling the effect of the current shortage of some compo­nents and mate­rials around the world. Based on a well-devel­oped supplier base and our active supply chain manage­ment, we have been able to avoid major prob­lems so far in this partic­ular case. But these current chal­lenges aside, our modular drive system in itself has enabled us to signif­i­cantly speed up the avail­ability of customer-specific drive solu­tions. Customers can compose the right drive from a modular product port­folio. Preferred types are ready to ship after 48 hours.

And this online portal covers all require­ments?

It allows us to cover a very high percentage of each customer application’s require­ments. If further adjust­ments are neces­sary, we rely on a drive system that already fits 80 percent of cases. However, it makes sense to have an indi­vidual discus­sion with customers before selecting a drive, because then we know which motor, with which trans­mis­sion and which elec­tronics, best suits the application’s require­ments. We find the ideal solu­tion for this by exchanging ideas with the customer. We draw on expe­ri­ence from count­less appli­ca­tions in various sectors.

We draw on expe­ri­ence from count­less appli­ca­tions in various sectors.

Which industry are you currently focusing on most?

Intral­o­gis­tics has been growing at an enor­mous speed since before the pandemic. In partic­ular, online retail is booming. Some areas have increased their growth rates five­fold over the past three years. However, making goods ready for ship­ment quickly and reli­ably requires highly auto­mated intra­logistics, which in turn requires numerous drive systems and demands new, more effi­cient solu­tions. In partic­ular, our compact, decen­tral­ized drives are used success­fully here. Auto­mated guided vehi­cles are becoming increas­ingly impor­tant in industry. With the new ArgoDrive driving/steering system, we have devel­oped a revo­lu­tionary drive solu­tion with infi­nite mobility for vehi­cles of exactly this kind and are currently in the process of success­fully estab­lishing them on the market.

How much does digi­tal­iza­tion play a part here?

Drive solu­tions that contribute their intel­li­gence are becoming increas­ingly impor­tant in many areas. This applies to intral­o­gis­tics just as to medical tech­nology and access automa­tion, i.e. secu­rity locks, barriers, doors, and general automa­tion tech­nology. The world is becoming increas­ingly networked: intel­li­gent and decen­tral­ized solu­tions are a key element in this. We see ourselves as an enabler here. After all, our drives provide a lot of data: the motor detects many condi­tions as a ‘sensor’. This data supports higher-­level systems, which then generate added value. For example, this facil­i­tates condi­tion moni­toring or predic­tive main­te­nance.

We work with our customers to develop solu­tions that drive them and us forward.

How much of this is a dream of the future?

It is already a reality! Of course, it is based on the drives and the network system planned for the customer speaking the same language. For this purpose, we offer the ideal inter­face in accor­dance with the Indus­trial Ethernet stan­dard. The most recent example is the drive-inte­grated EtherCAT inter­face for our ECI-63 internal rotor motors, which will be avail­able soon. This is also a good example of how our engi­neering power drives us. We work with our customers to develop solu­tions that drive them and us forward. This corre­sponds to our claim “Engi­neering a better life.”