Meeting the challenges of the future with Connectivity+

Not on location in Nuremberg, but still live and close to customers: Despite the cancellation of the SPS, HARTING is offering the entire programme that customers would have experienced at the trade fair: digital customer appointments with the experts of the Technology Group, interviews and webinars, as well as daily updates. Whether live or on demand: the Technology Group is providing information in a virtual format on all its new connectivity solutions for industrial transformation: All for Ethernet, All for PCB, All for Energy, as well as new connectivity solutions for automation, electrification and decarbonization.      

Traditionally, Philip Harting, CEO of the Technology Group, opened the press conference with a review of the past business year, which at HARTING, ends on September 30: "In spite of the adverse conditions, we have achieved an excellent result and have now generated significant double-digit growth after a slight increase in 2019/20. Growth was recorded in almost all sectors, markets and regions."

The company is benefiting from its broad positioning and its powerful connectivity solutions for industrial transformation. Evidently, the COVID-19 pandemic has lent additional momentum to digitalisation.

"Last year in particular showed us that this is exactly the right approach to charting our course to the future. After all, the future holds a good many challenges in store for us," as Board Chairman Philip Harting stated at the digital press conference. 

Supply bottlenecks due to material shortages and fragile supply chains are current challenges that will continue to be highly relevant in the future. Rising energy prices, the tremendous efforts required for the energy transition and an expected high inflation rate are factors that concern the Technology Group as much as the rest of the industry and for which answers are urgently needed.  

At the HARTING Technology Group, the way to meet current challenges, while proactively addressing megatrends at a social and technological level, is referred to as "Connectivity+".  

The "Big Picture" of Connectivity+ 

"We think Connectivity+ in a consistent triad: the societal megatrends of sustainability, (de)globalisation and demographic change are the drivers for the technological megatrends of modularity, autonomy and digital twins. They are our guard rails for Connectivity+," as Dr Kurt Bettenhausen, Board Member for New Technologies and Development, explained the concept. "Based on these societal and technological megatrends, we are developing products and solutions that always put customer benefits firmly centre stage. In brief, we are shaping the connectivity of the future with solutions that deliver innovative added value for our customers."

Live from the HARTING Forum: Despite the cancellation of the SPS, Philip Harting, CEO of the HARTING Technology Group, Detlef Sieverdingbeck, General Manager Corporate Communication & Branding, Dr Kurt D. Bettenhausen, Board Member for New Technologies and Development, Norbert Gemmeke, Managing Director HARTING Electric, Ralf Klein, Managing Director HARTING Electronics, Christian Schumacher, Managing Director HARTING Customised Solutions and Christopher Ukatz, Managing Director Sales at HARTING Deutschland Management GmbH (from left to right) led through the programme of the digital press conference.

ALL FOR ETHERNET 

Ralf Klein, Managing Director of HARTING Electronics, emphasises as follows: "We are constantly developing our Ethernet offerings and enabling our partners and customers to build robust networks for industrial use with our products. By combining IP-based communication and smart sensor technology, we can redefine the automation pyramid from sensors all the way to the cloud." 

The Ethernet protocol has become the most important communication standard for industrial automation. Increasing transmission rates and the trend towards miniaturisation are demanding new approaches in data infrastructure. The new and space-saving Physical Layer Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) is now also conquering the last areas of the field level.  

The associated connectivity solutions from HARTING at a glance: 

  • new variants of the T1 Industrial (IEC 63171-6) in M12 and M8 enclosures
  • hybrid concepts for SPE plus power according to IEC 63171
  • RJ Industrial® Multifeature
  • preLink® RJ45 
  • ix Industrial® - with special focus on PROFINET applications 
  • HARTING M12 according to the new IEC 61076-2-010 standard

 

ALL FOR PCB 

The technical megatrends of modularity and flexibility are more important than ever before in device development. In addition, development times are becoming shorter and prototyping is gaining additional significance.

The associated connectivity solutions from HARTING at a glance: 

  • har-modular®  
  • har-flex® 

 

ALL FOR ENERGY 

”Increasing energy efficiency is relevant to all areas of industry - the trend towards conserving resources is also a technology driver here," as Norbert Gemmeke, Managing Director of HARTING Electric, emphasised in this context.

The safe and trouble-free connection technology for modular battery storage units forming energy storage systems (ESS) ranks as a key topic in the "All for Energy" area. Christian Schumacher, Managing Director of HARTING Customised Solutions, underlined as follows: "Cable assemblies are the be-all and end-all here in terms of efficient plug & play in assembly. Prefabricated and customised, they shorten installation times, minimise the wiring effort on location, while providing maximum safety."

The associated HARTING connectivity solutions at a glance: 

  • har-modular® 
  • Han-Modular® featuring the new 300 A module 

 

MINIATURISATION AND MODULARISATION 

The trends of miniaturisation and modularisation continue to drive technological development in the industry forward and are constantly demanding new solutions and products. In addition to the Ethernet and PCB solutions already mentioned (har-modular®, ix Industrial® and har-flex®), HARTING is now presenting solutions from the field of "heavy-duty" industrial connectors.

The associated HARTING connectivity solutions at a glance: 

  • Han® L32 B   
  • Han-Modular®: Han® Shielded Power Module and the Han® Shielded Module Basic

 

New Engineering Data Formats & Services 

HARTING is also consistently expanding its services and tools revolving around digital engineering. The Technology Group's "Competence Centre Digital Transformation", which was founded specifically for this purpose, has set itself the task of offering users a multifaceted range of digital services enabling them to design their product development more efficiently. 

 

The associated services from HARTING at a glance:  

  • More download options; various CAx formats directly accessible from the product data 
  • Expanded and qualitatively improved ECAD data for ZUKEN E3.series and various PCB layout systems, in addition to almost 3000 EPLAN data records available in the EPLAN Data Portal (more to follow by the end of the year) 
  • Optimisations and product additions to the online configurators