Pressrelease: Scanautomatic’s return generates sustained and huge interest

On Thursday, 20 October this year’s Scanautomatic – the industry’s most important meeting place for automation and digitalisation – came to a close. After a four-year hiatus, the need for, and interest in, the event was evident.

Scanautomatic is the meeting place devoted to the future of automation and digitalisation. Industry, academia and policymakers come together under one roof to create the business case for smarter and more sustainable industry.

The on-stage programme provided visitors with topical, relevant and educational sessions. On Tuesday, the programme’s electrification stream featured Lars Mårtensson, Head of Environment and Innovation at Volvo Trucks, who talked about the company’s electrification journey.

“It’s clear to us that we need to collaborate and bring others with us on this journey. We are making a rapid transition but, like the rest of industry, we face challenges; we need to increase access to green electricity and expand the charging infrastructure. But I think we should be optimistic about the future. There is a lot of commitment from many companies and a lot is happening. Scanautomatic has an enormous role to play in creating opportunities to meet. The contacts you make here are the ones that will lead to exciting things in the future,” Mårtensson said.

Among the exhibitors were Mitsubishi Electric and Rittal.

“This is the largest automation fair in Sweden, so historically, it’s been an important event for us to attend. We meet our existing and potential customers, but it’s also an important meeting place for the industry at large. We’re on a major digitalisation drive so the industry benefits from actually listening to what’s being said at this show,” said Maria Wendt, Marketing Communications Manager at Mitsubishi Electric.

“Scanautomatic provides a concentrated impression of companies, people and partners. So it’s  super-important for us. It’s an effective way to get our message across to the market. The industry faces many challenges, but energy supply is definitely central to many of them. The whole supply chain has taken a hit with what’s happening around the world.Those elements, along with the sustainability mindset are the most important right now,” said Fredrik Wåhlstrand, CEO of Rittal in Scandinavia.

Among the visitors to Scanautomatic was Yukari Tsuji from NOTE Torsby.

“We are here to look for new technology. So far the fair has been very rewarding for us. I think this kind of meeting place is very important for the industry. To learn about new technologies and at the same time talk to people in the industry and get inspiration. You get to learn about new technologies and at the same time you get to talk to people in the industry and get inspired,” Yukari Tsuji said.

Scanautomatic Awards Ceremony

Swedish Technology Prize

Two other events, ProcessTeknik and Nordic Food Industry, also took place in parallel with Scanautomatic. The Swedish Technology Prize was awarded during the last two days of the event. This year it included nominees from all three fairs! The prize, which recognises innovation in industry, is divided into two parts – one awarded by the jury, and one awarded by visitors to the fairs.

Schneider Electric wins the Swedish Technology Prize jury award

Schneider Electric was named the 2022 winner of the Swedish Technology Prize jury award for its digital platform EcoStruxure.

“This win is very exciting for us, partly to draw attention to this new technology, but also because it provides proof that Schneider Electric is at the forefront of software platforms. Openness is an important quality, and we see the need for the whole of industry to start working more like this. That’s why this is great,” said Daniel Ljungqvist, Sales Manager at Schneider Electric.

Novotek winner of the visitors’ prize

Novotek won the 2022 Swedish Technology Prize Visitors’ Award. Visitors nominated the company for its Intelligence Hub software solution.

“Novotek stands for new technology and the award shows that we are doing the right things, that we have succeeded in bringing new technology to industry. It takes innovation to be part of the future and this award is proof that we are doing it,” said Thomas Lundqvist, Sales Manager at Novotek.

Heidenhain and Atlas Copco Compressor were also awarded honourable mentions by the jury for their innovative solutions.

ITF Automation Prize

Yrgo was named as winner of the ITF Automation Prize 2022. The ITF awards an annual automation prize to recognise individuals and entities who can serve as role models and sources of inspiration for others working in the field and who contribute to strengthening the international competitiveness of Swedish-based industry.

ITF’s motives

As one of Sweden’s widest range of polytechnic courses, Yrgo trains around 2,000 people per year. Students are admitted on “learning at work” (lärande i arbete – LIA) through partnerships with companies and organisations that participate in the programme’s management team. Through periods of LIA, Yrgo creates opportunities for students to enter professional life more easily after their studies. Yrgo contributes expertise to industry, with great commitment.

“We are very surprised, but this award means a lot to us. At Yrgo we have enjoyed a close and high-quality cooperation with companies that appreciate our work. We are proud and happy to win the ITF Automation Award,” said Riaz Abrahem, automation teacher at Yrgo.

Automation Student

The Automation Student competition highlights innovative and well-executed degree projects in the field of automation. The award has been presented since 2010 by Automation Region, the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and the industry association Svensk Automation. This year’s prize went to Sofie Nilsson and Anna Bengtsson from the Mechanical Engineering programme at Lund University of Technology. In their thesis, they investigated how wireless control can be improved by modifying the control algorithm and basing the communication of control and measurement signals on events instead of fixed time intervals.

“It feels great to win this award and it’s a great way to finish our studies. So in that way it’s fantastic. To get an award for doing a good and relevant job for industry means a lot. We hope that our work can be of use to industry and that people will be willing to invest in this area,” Sofie Nilsson said.


Facts about Scanautomatic, ProcessTeknik and Nordic Food Industry

Participation and involvement in the fairs was both high and highly gratifying. Participants could take part in 110 exciting and educational programme items presented on three stages, and they could visit 276 unique exhibitors on the exhibition floor. A total of 12,060 people attended this year’s Scanautomatic, ProcessTeknik and Nordic Food Industry.