Pepperl+Fuchs – Innovations for the Future of Automation

As one of the leading companies in the automation industry, Pepperl+Fuchs has been a pioneer in the market due to its 70-year history of developing groundbreaking technologies. This is true today more than ever, because the Mannheim-based company is fully preparing its customers for the challenges of Industry 4.0 with a well thought-out brand strategy and future-proof innovations up to application-oriented cloud connectivity solutions.

With Sensorik4.0®, Pepperl+Fuchs combines innovative sensor solutions that are characterized by their ability to communicate. Pepperl+Fuchs is constantly driving this technology forward; by developing an intelligent supermarket including a digital Kanban system, a solution has been created that stands as a prototype for other promising innovations in intralogistics. With the acquisition of Comtrol Inc. in 2019, Pepperl+Fuchs’ communication-enabled sensors are complemented by Ethernet-based industrial communication technology to create well-rounded solutions. In addition, a diverse IO-Link portfolio with intelligent components that clear the way for the connection of IT and OT, is available.

For the optimization of conventional to networked applications, the Pepperl+Fuchs subsidiary Neoception, a young IIoT start-up, develops tailor-made projects based on industrial sensors and service-oriented cloud software.

As part of an international consortium, Pepperl+Fuchs is developing an Ethernet-APL (Advanced Physical Layer) for the process industry as a core technology for Industry 4.0 requirements in this market. In addition, the Pepperl+Fuchs brand ecom offers solutions for mobile computing and communication for hazardous areas that enable networking of applications via mobile devices. Future topics such as remote service and predictive maintenance can thus also be implemented in process plants—another step for the automation industry toward digitalization and Industry 4.0.