INSIDE THE FACTORY
storage system used for heating and cooling. Beneath the factory sits a 19-metre-wide tank containing 1.5 million litres of water. By freezing the water in winter, the system extracts thermal energy for heating; in warmer months, the stored ice enables highly efficient cooling. “It’s fascinating technology,” Wetter said. “Freezing water releases a huge amount of energy without changing temperature.” Alongside heat pumps and a campus-wide heat network, the system forms part of a broader effort to reduce the company’s carbon footprint. Separately on its Blomberg campus, the company has also built a showroom highlighting the various technologies
onto rails and marking them using laser systems can produce components rapidly and with minimal error, using data directly from digital design tools. “Digitalisation is key – without a digital twin of the product, even the best physical component is only half as valuable in production,” Schreiber adds. New connection technologies are also being introduced to streamline assembly. Phoenix Contact’s push-in wiring systems, for example, eliminate the need for screws or ferrules, allowing wires to be inserted quickly and securely, and reducing both labour time and complexity. Together, these initiatives point to a broader transformation. The factory is not just demonstrating new energy infrastructure, but also new ways of designing, building, and operating the electrical systems that underpin modern industry. “DC is a real key enabler for the all-electric society,” adds Wetter. “Here at Blomberg, we are showing that it’s not just a vision – it can work in daily industrial operations, efficiently, sustainably, and safely.”
“We’ve designed specialised workstations that guide workers step by step, using digital data from engineering.”
manufacturers are using to transition from fossil fuels which is open to visitors and school parties. But Phoenix Contact’s ambitions at Blomberg are not limited to energy systems. Part of the factory has been dedicated to rethinking another bottleneck in industrial electrification: the production of control cabinets. As electrification accelerates globally – with millions of wind turbines, solar installations, and kilometres of grid infrastructure required – the demand for control
cabinets is rising sharply. These systems, which house the components that control electrical processes, are becoming increasingly critical. To address this, the company has created an application centre – an industrial “shop floor” environment within Building 60, where customers can work alongside Phoenix Contact engineers to develop and test solutions. Looking a bit like an Ikea Kitchen Design Station, Phoenix Contracts new division can provide anything from assisted manual workstations to
that nearly 90% of control cabinet builders see labour shortages as a major constraint, even as demand continues to grow. The company’s response is to embed digitalisation directly into the production process. Worker assistance systems guide operators step-by-step using data from engineering software, enabling even less experienced staff to contribute effectively. At the same time, automation is being deployed where standardisation allows. Machines capable of assembling terminal blocks
fully automated production systems, all linked by digital workflows. “We’ve designed specialised workstations that guide workers step by step, using digital data from engineering. This allows even semi-skilled staff to assemble control cabinets efficiently and accurately,” says Andreas Schreiber, the company’s Vice President for Industrial Cabinet Solutions. One of the key challenges identified by Phoenix Contact is a shortage of skilled workers. Internal research conducted with industry partners found
Written by Lucy Barnard, Editor, Automation News
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