ABSTRACT
The industrial automation domain is a key driver and supporter for other industries. With its innovations it can be seen as the backbone for many industrial sectors, like manufacturing, process technology, or the power and energy systems domain. Since production processes are more and more performed by automated machines, factories and plants, an increased level of automation is observable today. The major trend and driving factor for industrial automation in recent years is the growing need for customized and individualized products and goods. There is a need to evolve corresponding automation solutions in response to the rapidly changing demands due to new production processes and technologies. Also recent advancements in hardware and software solutions influence this trend. This requires that production lines, machines, and components have to be constructed and adapted to new products and production processes quickly [3, 10].
