German delegation meets with partners in Brazil

Brazil

Germany and Brazil set the topics for next year’s QI-cooperation. An on-site visit at the Industry 4.0 Center in Belo Horizonte and a panel discussion provide for knowledge exchange on industrial communication. FIEMG and VDMA signed a cooperation agreement.

Representatives from BMWK, MDIC, VDE, FIEMG and GPQI at the GPL Demonstrator technical visit. © GPQI-GIZ

Belo Horizonte, 12 to 14 March 2023: A delegation from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) visited Brazil to attend the Annual Meeting of the German - Brazilian Working Group on Quality Infrastructure, within the framework of the German-Brazilian Economic Meeting 2023 (EEBA-DBWT).

 

Dr Daniela Brönstrup, Boris Böhme, Christoph Mönnigmann and Volkmar Stein, representatives of BMWK, travelled to Brazil to discuss the cooperation on quality infrastructure (QI) with key stakeholders.

 

The Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC), the Brazilian National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (Inmetro), the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau - VDMA), and industry leaders were among the representatives who joined the meeting. Additionally, the German delegation included representatives from the Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (VDE).

 

Launch of a GPL Demonstrator and signing a cooperation agreement between FIEMG and VDMA

Following the Annual Meeting of the Working Group Quality Infrastructure on 14 March, the participants were part in a launch event for the Global Production Language (GPL) Demonstrator from Brazilian National Service of Industrial Learning of the State of Minas Gerais (Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial Minas Gerais, SENAI-MG). They headed to the Innovation and Educational Center for Industry 4.0 in Belo Horizonte. On-site, they were able inspect industrial communications. The GPL Demonstrator project shows how the implementation of international standards, such as OPC-UA, may optimise and reduce costs of manufacturing. This ultimately boosts efficiency of related processes.

 

The project was implemented with the support of the private sector and the VDMA and in close cooperation with the Global Project Quality Infrastructure (GPQI). The success of the GPL Demonstrator at the Industry 4.0 Center already triggered further developments. It inspired the Brazilian Federation of Industries of the State of Minas Gerais (FIEMG) and VDMA to sign a memorandum of understanding to cooperate closely. Together, they spread the use of this technology throughout the private sector in Brazil and in Germany.

 

Expert panel with representatives from the industry. © GPQI-GIZ

Experts discuss the future of Industrial communications

In the afternoon of 14 March, representatives from the industry and academia gathered for an expert panel on industrial communications and 5G. The meeting explored the potential benefits on using Global Production Language. Furthermore, the role that 5G has on the application of this technology for industrial communications networks was discussed.

 

GPL and 5G create advantages for adopting industries such as real-time data transmission, remote control and predictive maintenance. In addition, the topic of data security needs further consideration when operating with future industrial communication.

 

Not only the benefits were presented during the session, but the technical staff also shared the difficulties they had in implementing the GPL Demonstrator. These can be considered as lessons learned when setting up similar processes. Overall, the experts advocated for the usage of this technology for industries in Brazil and in Germany.

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