Erkan Teskancan
Corporate
- Thread Author
- #1
Schneider Electric and Microsoft are ushering in a new era in industry at Hannover Messe 2026. Traditional automation barriers are being removed with a software-defined, unified, and AI-powered architecture, accelerating and making production processes sustainable.
### Industrial Efficiency with Software-Defined Unified Architecture
The strategic collaboration between Schneider Electric and Microsoft eliminates rigid and fragmented systems, transforming them into a single software-defined structure. Unlike traditional methods, this partnership, with open automation and AI-based orchestration, enables logic created once to be easily applied anywhere – on-premise, at the edge, or in the cloud.
### Integration of Engineering and Operations
In modern manufacturing, the disconnect between design software and field applications has been a significant obstacle. EcoStruxure Automation Expert software enables integration by allowing reusable logic to be standardized and validated with digital twins. Microsoft Azure's AI and cloud services connect directly to the production layer, enabling the concept of "agentic manufacturing." Here, AI automates routine design decisions and autonomously validates packages.
### Tangible Gains in Efficiency
This integrated process significantly reduces operational time and costs. Engineering teams using Azure-powered industrial co-pilots achieved a 50% time saving in control configuration and documentation tasks. While production line adjustments used to take weeks, with this technology, they can be completed in just hours. Especially in challenging areas like green hydrogen production, over 6,000 hours of autonomous stable operation in high-temperature electrolysis were demonstrated in collaboration with H2E Power. This reduced hydrogen costs by 10%, saving approximately €500,000 annually in a 10 MW facility.
### A New Era in Flexible and Reliable Production
Removing barriers between design, commissioning, and operation offers scalable solutions against global supply chain issues and product diversity. This platform integrates security and compliance into digital processes, supporting the modernization of highly regulated sectors. From traditional hardware-centric automation, manufacturing companies can achieve unprecedented levels of agility and sustainability with an AI-powered flexible model.
