In the interview, Luca Galluzzi explains how the challenges of flexible manufacturing are reshaping the automation industry – and how B&R feels about its leading role in that transformation.

For foods and pharmaceuticals sealed in airtight packaging, leak testing is a critical step in the production process. Oxipack's new inspection unit, The Rotary, detects microscopic leaks without harming the product. Through close cooperation with machine builder Geurtsen and the control experts at B&R, the Dutch specialist's solution is efficient enough to test every item passing through the line.

An economical approach to modernization is retrofitting. Twenty years ago, Dieter Burri went into business retrofitting machine tools. To automate his machines, he relies on B&R's portfolio of scalable hardware and software.

Today's plants and machinery take up a lot of space. It's time to break free from old limitations and set the stage for a new era of productivity.

In 1885, passengers and onlookers celebrated as the first tram traversed the Belgian coast from Ostend and Nieuwpoort. In 1912, the steam powered tram was upgraded to run on electricity. There was renewed cause for celebration when the tramway recently received another major upgrade after more than a century. The modernization project was completed in cooperation between Prague-based Elektroline and Austrian automation specialist B&R.