President Obama, German Chancellor Merkel visit Harting

 

Hannover, Germany – The opening of the world's largest industrial trade show saw U.S. President Barack Obama visit the company’s stand together with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, with the Harting family greeting the two heads of state. The United States is this year's partner country of the Hannover Messe.

 

President Obama was accompanied by a large delegation. Together with Chancellor Merkel, the 44th U.S. president learned about Harting products and solutions, which are accompanying companies around the globe into Industry 4.0. Harting ranks among Hannover Messe’s top five largest exhibitors, and the company is one of the few companies that have been present every year since the trade show began in 1947.

 

The Harting Modular Industry Computing Architecture (MICA) has been developed for this digital transformation. The MICA is a mini industrial computer that is positioned as a neural interface between machine and Cloud, and enables systems and machines to function as part of the Internet of Things (IoT). 

 

President Obama and Chancellor Merkel showed great interest in the presentation of the Rinspeed Etos car, in which the MICA captures drive and emissions data and transmits it to testing institutes for independent monitoring.

 

Harting Technology Group’s Industry 4.0 solutions have been met with great interest in the United States. The re-industrialization of the nation is acting as a growth engine. This development has also benefited Harting, which has operated its own production plant in Elgin, Illinois, for a number of years. Sales in the Americas have grown by one-third in recent years. 

 

The Harting IT Software Development company was the recipient of this year’s Hermes Award, presented at the HANNOVER MESSE Opening Ceremony. This international technology prize is awarded to outstanding products, innovations, and solutions that are displayed for the first time at HANNOVER MESSE 2016. Harting received the award for its MICA product – an open and modular platform consisting of embedded hardware and software that serves as a central component in the Industry 4.0 environment. The family-owned company had previously picked up the prestigious prize in 2006 for an RFID solution.

 

“The award-winning MICA product represents a key contribution to the keynote theme for this year’s HANNOVER MESSE, and will make it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises to enter the world of Industry 4.0,” stated Dr. Jochen Köckler, member of Deutsche Messe’s Managing Board. 

 

"The Hermes Award is the world’s most important innovation prize for industry. We are very excited about this important victory. It highlights the innovative capacity of our engineers and developers", explained Philip Harting, CEO of the technology group.