HANS BECKHOFF, BECKHOFF AUTOMATION, MANAGING DIRECTOR

2007 saw Beckhoff Automation increase sales by 22 percent to reach an expected turnover of 233 million euros for the year. Orders received were consistently excellent, both at home and abroad. In terms of technology, EtherCAT – the Ethernet real-time system – and eXtreme Fast Control Technology (XFC) are securing our current advantage.

With Beckhoff having a history of launching groundbreaking technology onto the market at least every fi ve years (often, its signifi cance comes to light later), 2008 will see the “scientifi c automation” concept spring to life. This concept represents our plan to make scientifi c progress available through technology to a wide range of application fi elds in a cost-effective and simple way.

The targets are ease of application, optimization of engineering tools, high performance as well as high efficiency, which leads to sustainability, among many other benefits. The integration of high-end measurement technology with automation control will form the basis of scientific automation.