It's becoming increasing clear that many of the exhibitors at HANNOVER MESSE 2019 would have fit right in at CEBIT, too - HEITEC AG is a perfect example of this. Under the umbrella term HEITEC 4.0, the company recently developed a portfolio of solutions that covers everything from digital plant and process planning, and virtual commissioning to monitoring for plant and production processes. This portfolio uses adaptive machines and systems to help establish an intelligent factory.

Thanks to object orientation, functional modeling and access to established HEITEC component libraries, the HeiVM digital framework is set to make it more cost-effective - even in specialist mechanical engineering - to carry out commissioning on the virtual model first, eliminate any errors that arise, and only then commission the actual system on site - and in a much shorter time. Not only does this approach significantly enhance the quality of the software, it also considerably reduces the throughput times for development and commissioning. However, HeiVM is not just ideal for new developments - the digital twin can now also be used efficiently in retrofit projects. What's more, when data from actual production is incorporated via HeiTPM (total productive manufacturing), the digital machine can also be used for training purposes or to effectively optimize the use of existing systems. This kind of modular digital technology is set to increasingly determine machine and plant planning in the future - and HEITEC intends to be at the very forefront of this, pursuing a new development paradigm.