ctrlX developR Maurus Bien: "From drive specialist to big player."

Maurus, did you play a special role in the launch of ctrlX AUTOMATION?

Yes, I was one of the application engineers who provided technical support to the first key customers. That was very exciting, since the solution was virtually new territory for everyone. Even today, I'm still involved in the early phase: I provide technical support to sales in the DACH region during the pre-sales phase. This includes, for example, hands-on automation. I demonstrate the possibilities of our modular automation system to our customers live on site. I also accompany users during their first steps and projects in which ctrlX AUTOMATION is used.

Then as now, programming interfaces are my main focus. APIs make data transfer between systems much easier and are important access points. This is the basis for openness and networking, which we live with our system.

What has happened from the beginning until today?

An infinite amount. In the truest sense of the word. Because we have developed ctrlX AUTOMATION into a modular automation system with endless possibilities - and the cosmos is getting bigger and bigger. With our principle of "through the world of automation via app", we have turned much of what has defined the market upside down up to now. This approach and the associated industrial ecosystem have not existed before. And with our open operating system ctrlX OS, which we recently made available to competitors, we have once again surprised everyone.

But it has been an exciting journey up to this point - and it continues to lead steeply upwards. You could say that we started out with ctrlX AUTOMATION like a start-up embedded in the company. Right from the start, we set an unbelievable pace of development. This is how a strong drive specialist has become a big player in the world of control. We have entered application areas in which we previously played only a minor role.

Why does software play a major role in this?

The production world of the future will be software-driven. Functions must be easily accessible, developed and operated. Just as we exemplify with ctrlX AUTOMATION. The automation market is undergoing a transformation. Here it is essential to pick up the users and to train them, for example, through workshops. Sales and consulting with regard to software are therefore becoming increasingly important.

To what extent do services support automation?

To a great extent, because service keeps the product alive. We realized this early on and created our own service world within the ctrlX AUTOMATION universe. The service portfolio is available worldwide and ranges from technical support, classic and digital services, training and certification offerings to various services for the entire product life cycle. With the support of these services, not only performance advantages can be achieved in automation, but also sustainability and more added value.