Boosting Mexico’s Technology Base

Q: How has Balluff helped its clients adapt to the growing Industry 4.0 trend?
A: We consider ourselves as enablers of Industry 4.0 solutions. We do not sell components, we sell complete solutions supported by the most knowledgeable sales force in the market. Our goal is to solve whatever problem our clients might have, whether it is low productivity, unscheduled downtime, overproduction or ineffective inventories. We have also placed high importance on connectivity and its role in advanced industrial processes.
Over five years ago, we started participating in the development of an industrial subnetwork called IO-Link. This network was created by a consortium of European companies and has been a key element in making connectivity a reality in industrial spaces, helping companies effectively reduce operational costs and to run diagnosis of how processes and components are working. When a sensor fails in a traditional production line, it normally takes operators two to three hours to find out where the malfunction is. With an IO-Link network, detection is immediate.
IO-Link is an open protocol and this is what has driven its success in the industry. Previously, companies had to adopt a Siemens or Allen-Bradley network, which limited the type of components that could be connected to their systems. Although we use the backbone of these proprietary networks, through IO-Link we can connect any compatible sensor regardless of its manufacturer.
Q: How have you evolved to face the rapidly changing nature of the technology market?
A: One of our strategies has been oriented toward inorganic growth. In 2017, Balluff acquired MATRIX VISION to complement its portfolio with vision systems and ISS to strengthen its software offering. Our bet is that sensors must become more intelligent and improve their self-diagnostic capabilities.
Market segmentation has also become one of our priorities. Our automotive division has now become part of our mobility segment, which is one of our three core businesses along with plant automation and packaging and food and beverage. All the experience we had in the automotive sector is now being translated to other applications in the aerospace and construction industries, as well as the production of new vehicle platforms. We were traditionally paired with combustion engine and transmission manufacturers but today all of Tesla’s production lines include Balluff components. We also expect to eventually participate in the battery market, helping companies enter the Industry 4.0 era.
Q: What do you see as the main areas of opportunity regarding talent in Mexico?
A: Although there is capable talent in Mexico, students are sorely lacking in training regarding new technologies. Schools are working with obsolete programmable logic controllers and they are teaching concepts that are 10 or even 15 years old. As a result, students leave the classroom without any knowledge of what is really out there in the industry.
We have created two new divisions in the company: one is focused on training for our users in the use of IO-Link and our own components, while the other is oriented toward engineering and the implementation of any solution that we might propose. We offer customized trainings for our corporate clients, guaranteeing that our clients’ engineers have both the theoretical and practical knowledge to carry on with their activities. We have established training programs with Nemak, Metalsa and GM and they have led to positive results. We are also working with institutions such as UNAQ, CECyTEQ, IPN, ITESM and UNAM at several events and recruitment fairs, and we are donating equipment to help them raise their academic level.