Industrial manufacturing, energy efficiency is often discussed in terms of reducing consumption. But another opportunity receives far less attention: making better use of energy that is already available. Across industries ranging from wood processing and food production to cement, metals and chemical manufacturing, large amounts of thermal energy are generated as part of daily operations. Much of this heat is required for the production process itself. Yet a considerable share remains unused because it cannot be economically recovered or reused elsewhere in the plant.

Across Europe, shortages of essential medicines such as antibiotics, fever remedies, and painkillers occur repeatedly. The reason: these products are often manufactured more cost-effectively in Asia. As a result, geopolitical disruptions and supply chain interruptions can quickly lead to shortages. The European Union has recently responded by agreeing on new rules aimed at strengthening the domestic production of critical medicines and active pharmaceutical ingredients. However, one key question remains: how can “Pharma made in Europe” be produced at scale, with the same quality and comparable unit costs? Cost and efficiency pressures persist. What is needed is a new production logic—moving away from rigid lines toward adaptive architectures.

With B&R’s integrated automation, AP&S scales modular semiconductor equipment while reducing system complexity. This enables flexible, high-precision production in an increasingly regionalized market.

As machines grow faster and become more adaptive, safety engineering often continues to operate in a parallel world of isolated workflows and fixed constraints. In this interview, Franz Kaufleitner (Global Product Manager Safety) and Stefan Schönegger (CTO, ABB Machine Automation division, B&R) share why the time for a hift is right and how Safety+ from B&R aims to close the gap between modern automation and safety engineering.

At first glance, B&R’s ACOPOS 6D stands out for its magnetic levitation technology and contactless shuttle movement. But for Hans-Peter Kraft, that’s only part of the story. In this interview, he explains why software plays a far greater role in defining how transport systems perform, evolve, and create value over time – and why the future of planar motor technology will be driven by software innovation.