Automation Canada Quarterly Volume 2 Issue 3 - 3

with Owen and
Alfredo Baginski
SENIOR DIRECTOR STRATEGIC PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
AND TRAINING, BUSINESS AREA ICE BEI PHOENIX CONTACT

In this issue of Industry Insights we are privileged to learn from
Alfredo Baginski of Phoenix Contact regarding control cabinet
solutions and how Phoenix Contact is driving toward complete
implementation of digitalization. Alfredo works for Phoenix
Contact in Germany has been with the company since 2011.
His position and time with the company has allowed him to
work closely with the digitization effort and provided him with
a deep understanding of the role Phoenix Contact plays in implementing this technology to the broad automation and control industry.
Enjoy the insightful responses from Alfredo below.

When automation concepts need to be modified, we also support
our customers with new products and services during the process. Here,
the key words are Cloud Services, Data Analytics, and PLCnext, the
open controller platform. As an experienced manufacturer of automation components and solutions with in-house machine building capacities and expertise, we develop practical new solutions for our
customers, addressing those topics.
Digitalization affects nearly every department of our company, causing disruptive developments in order fulfillment, product design and
product maintenance, and leading to conversions in production. We
have therefore drawn up internal programs to involve our employees
in the necessary change processes.

Digitalization is currently a primary driver for Phoenix
Contact, can you broadly identify what this term means
to Phoenix Contact and how it is implementing it?

How Have Collaborative Partnerships Aided
in Phoenix Contact's Delivery of Holistic
Control Cabinet Solutions?

Thanks to digitalization, our customers are able to implement consistently lean processes, from electrical systems planning and product selection to ordering and engineering processes through to the actual
startup of machinery. Unlocking these potentials requires comprehensive, product-associated electronic data for a variety of software tools,
which Phoenix Contact provides.
It also allows for the implementation of new automation concepts,
which are based on data storage and data processing done in the cloud.
As a manufacturer, we need to enable our products to provide this kind
of information. Consequently, we are expanding the range of functions
of selected components by standardized communication interfaces.

When we look at today's process chain, from the first idea for a control
cabinet through to the commissioning stage, we see many interfaces at
which data is transmitted from one system to another. This is where
digitalization along the entire chain offers opportunities for optimization. A prerequisite for this is data transfer without duplicate entries
and system breaks.
Take, for example, the creation of circuit diagrams which eventually
trigger orders or control printers for marking material. To allow for
a continuous data flow, manufacturers need to co-operate and to
co-define interfaces.
With the aim of helping reduce the expenses for providing product-

CANADIAN AUTOMATION

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3

Automation Canada Quarterly Volume 2 Issue 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automation Canada Quarterly Volume 2 Issue 3