The next level of decentralization

Technologies are changing. Digitalization offers brand new possibilities. New standards are emerging. Companies in the machine and plant engineering sector are offering their customers new, modular concepts for increased system flexibility.

 Today, they’re faced not only with implementing automation projects economically, but they must also design their concepts so that they are open to future control and cloud concepts. The goal is to create open structures that pioneer the way into the information revolution of industry 4.0.

At trade shows and industry events, new concepts for machines and systems are presented that are impressive with their future technology. However, they often don’t withstand the practical application: the new, idealistic solutions are expensive and complex to implement. Murrelektronik supports manufacturers by designing automation solutions for machines and plants that match their practical requirements while remaining competitively advantageous.

From our point of view, creating modular machine elements is an essential success factor in building future-proofed machines and systems. It’s becoming more important to create a solid machine foundation that controls central functions. The optional modules and supporting functional units that are necessary for the specific applications (and are often manufactured by subcontractors) are then connected to the machine’s foundation. This goes hand in hand with decentralization: components and functions are relocated from the control cabinet to the industrial field. This embodies our concept of “zero cabinet.”

Of course this concept is intended to be challenging! We know that machines and systems realistically won't work without a control cabinet. But we are convinced that there will be (much) fewer control cabinets or junction boxes and that these can be (significantly) smaller.