In Brief

The best connection

SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2011 was a resounding success for Weidmüller. "We were able to increase our high visitor total from 2010 by another 12 percent," reports Sales Director Volpert Briel. As well as presenting innovations and solutions, Weidmüller is always dedicated towards providing a personal service to visiting customers. "A trade fair is like a market place for the visitor – lots of choice in a compressed space. The key here is understanding the needs and challenges of our individual customers and providing them with recommendations and solutions that are relevant, useful and of value. As an industrial connectivity partner, we are not just presenting our cutting-edge technology products – we also take advantage of the trade fair to strengthen our relationships with existing and prospective customers," explained Briel. Highlights in the discussions included the automation solutions for machine and systems engineering, as well as process and power technology.

Best supplier to Siemens

Siemens honours its best suppliers each year – companies who have demonstrated long-term and profoundly optimised processes throughout the shared supply chain, technological expertise, sustainability, global presence and innovation.

Weidmüller was nominated in the categories of sustainability, global value sourcing and drive through innovationand we were proud to be honoured as a finalist in the category “Best Overall Supplier 2011”. Sales Director Volpert Briel received the prize on behalf of Weidmuller at the award ceremony which took place during the 3rd Siemens Supplier Forum at the end of November. The ceremony was held in Feldafing and hosted by Barbara Kux,,a board member at Siemens AG, leader of Supply Chain Management and the Chief Sustainability Officer.

"This prize is a confirmation of our ability to create added value for our customers through our innovation and service delivery", enthused Sales Director Volpert Briel. Following the award presentation, he took the trophy along to Nuremberg to the SPS/IPC DRIVES automation trade fair, where it was then given a place of honour on Weidmüller's exhibition stand. "We are very proud of this award. This is the result of the many years of excellent cooperation between our staff, in particular our sales teams and Siemens’ purchasing department," said the CEO, Dr. Peter Köhler.

"The personal attention and outstanding services received by the Siemens business units from Weidmüller were of an exceptional standard. In fact, the relationship with Weidmüller really stands out due to the open dialogue and candid exchange of information.   Another plus point has been the superior technical support we receive," explained Goran Cirkovic, Senior Director PUC Group Connectors & Cable Assemblies at Siemens, about why Weidmuller was chosen for the award.

The Siemens Supplier Award 2011 is awarded through the partronage of Barbara Kux. There are four categories of awards for suppliers whose performance during the business year has made them stand out significantly above that of their competitors.

Award for business excellence

Weidmüller's location in Wutha-Farnroda, Thuringia achieved the second highest level of excellence at the Ludwig Erhard Prize Awards. The Initiative Ludwig Erhard Prize association (ILEP) rewards top performances by German companies and institutions. This was Weidmüller’s first attempt to win a place on the ILEP winners' podium. Ralf Hoppe, head of production, Ulrich Halbey, plant manager of the Thuringia site and Stephan Köhler, local quality manager, received the prize on behalf of the 300 employees at the plant and the Weidmüller Group as a whole. The award took place at a ceremony with around 350 guests from politics, business and science in Radialsystem V in Berlin. The Ludwig Erhard Prize was awarded by Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan, the German minister for education and research.

"The winners of the Ludwig Erhard Prize distinguish themselves by their outstanding performance which means the needs of their customers, staff and other interested parties are fulfilled, which generates sustainable success," praised Dr. Andre Moll from ILEP.

“We are continually reviewing and improving processes in our production system. By focusing on our production facilities, we are adding value to the excellent services Weidmüller already delivers,“ explained Hoppe. "And we are proud to have received this award in recognition of our holistic approach to management” added Halby. “From a production location point of view, our aim is to help raise the quality and flexibility offered by Weidmüller. The award demonstrates that we are among the best and encourages us to continue along this path and to move forward."

The ILEP runs under the patronage of the German Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology. For the last 15 years its aim has been to encourage excellent performance in German companies using the EFQM Excellence model as the methodological basis of its evaluation.

Meet the experts 

Practical insights into the possible uses and advantages of the PROFIBUS system in process engineering was provided during a roadshow run by the PROFIBUS User Organisation (PUO). With the motto – Meet the Experts – planners, automation engineers, commissioning staff and plant operators from chemical, pharmaceutical and food companies were able to meet PROFIBUS experts and find out about the current state of the technology and the latest trends. The main focus was on PROFIBUS-PA, the fieldbus for process automation, which was originally produced for installation into explosive-risk areas.

The theme of the events, which took place in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, focussed on the basics and ease of use of the fieldbus system: "PROFIBUS – Easy to Use". Weidmüller was represented by Global Industry managers Markus Schade and Arnd Schepmann, who presented a workshop on "Installation" showing at close hand, the interaction of Weidmüller's plug-in connectors, cables, distributor boxes and tools. They demonstrated how together, the components provide a complete installation solution for field wiring. Any visitors wanting a hands-on experience were able to do so – for example, they were able to find out for themselves how simple it is to prepare the wiring of Weidmüller's plug-in connectors.

Short, technology lectures and presentations of practical application examples rounded off the roadshow which was enthusiastically received by visitors and exhibitors alike.