News


German Chancellor visits Beckhoff at Hannover Messe

May 2025 News


From left: Chancellor Olaf Schol; Hans Beckhoff managing director and owner of Beckhoff Automation; Stéphane Dion, Canada’s special envoy for Europe and the European Union.

On March 31, 2025 as part of the traditional Hannover Messe opening tour, acting federal chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz visited Beckhoff Automation, a company headquartered in Verl, Germany. He was accompanied by Stéphane Dion, Canada’s special envoy for Europe and the European Union. Canada is this year’s partner country for Hannover Messe. Hans Beckhoff, managing director and owner of Beckhoff Automation, presented his company and its comprehensive expertise in the field of software and artificial intelligence.

This year, one of the themes of Hannover Messe is “Shaping the future with technology”. Beckhoff Automation has been a pioneer in the field of PC-based control technology for 45 years. With its revolutionary futuristic technology, the company regularly pushes the performance limits of automation. Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the high-tech company’s booth in Hanover again this year to see the current applications for artificial intelligence in an industrial environment.

The federal chancellor was accompanied by a delegation of around 50 guests including Stephen Weil, the minister president of Lower Saxony, and Belit Onay, the mayor of Hanover and around 100 journalists.

Hans Beckhoff warmly welcomed this eminent delegation. He then explained the broad spectrum of PC-based control and drive technology: “We manufacture sophisticated high-tech products that are developed by a real hive of the brightest minds working together within our company. It is our job to develop products and automate production processes so that they consume fewer raw materials and less energy than in the past.”

The Beckhoff TwinCAT control software plays a central role in powerful automation solutions. It transforms almost every PC-based system into a real-time controller and, with its modular structure, unites all the necessary control functions, including PLC, motion control, machine safety, measurement technology, image processing and artificial intelligence. AI in particular opens up immense potential, for example in developing machines and systems faster and more efficiently. TwinCAT CoAgent, the powerful Beckhoff tool for AI-supported engineering, is crucial here. TwinCAT CoAgent is a personal digital assistant for engineers that revolutionises the entire engineering workflow. Chancellor Scholz was able to see this in person, and by entering a simple prompt in TwinCAT CoAgent he created a control programme that made a Beckhoff XPlanar mover hover in a circle. The federal chancellor and Canadian minister were impressed. Hans Beckhoff stated: “Smart implementation of artificial intelligence provides both our customers and us with a crucial competitive advantage. We have already seen an increase of 10 to 30% in terms of engineering efficiency across various projects.”

New automation technology from Beckhoff comprises the following product segments: industrial PCs, I/O and fieldbus components, drive technology, automation software and control cabinet-free automation.


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Palabora Mining Company and LH Marthinusen launch robotics and coding initiative
News
In a joint effort to advance education and digital skills development in Phalaborwa, Palabora Mining Company (PMC) and LH Marthinusen (LHM) have partnered to establish a fully equipped robotics and coding classroom at a local high school.

Read more...
A new era for African engineering
News
A group of mostly South African engineering professionals who bought a controlling margin of the South African arm of Netherlands-based engineering consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV have rebranded it as Atana.

Read more...
SEW-EURODRIVE builds regional strength with Gqeberha expansion
News
With the Eastern Cape firmly established as a hub for key industries such as automotive manufacturing, ports, agriprocessing and renewable energy, SEW-EURODRIVE is strengthening its presence in the region through an ongoing significant expansion of its facility in Gqeberha.

Read more...
Functional safety explained
News
The SAIMC supports Pepperl+Fuchs, a National Member, in a free four-part online seminar series focused on Functional Safety.

Read more...
The Future of manufacturing in Africa
News
The future and development of African manufacturing will be discussed extensively at the upcoming Manufacturing Indaba conference, to be hosted on 15 to 16 July 2025 at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre.

Read more...
Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.

Read more...
Fostering a collaborative learning environment for sugar producer
SKF South Africa News
One of South Africa’s leading sugar producers made strategic use of its off-crop season, turning scheduled downtime into an opportunity for both essential maintenance and valuable skills development with the help of SKF

Read more...
TechAccess and Schneider Electric partnership goes from strength to strength
Schneider Electric South Africa News
Schneider Electric, together with its longstanding partner TechAccess, is poised to take the Southern African market by storm.

Read more...
Steinmüller Africa and Eskom uplift eMalahleni communities
News
Steinmüller Africa, in partnership with Eskom, has reaffirmed its commitment to social upliftment by donating essential goods and creating meaningful connections with two impactful community organisations in eMalahleni.

Read more...
Comtest calibration user group seminar
News
Comtest invites metrology and calibration professionals to a focused technical seminar series aimed at demystifying some of the most common hurdles in inter-laboratory comparisons.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved