Endress+Hauser and Rockwell Automation open first joint European test centre

Rockwell Automation, an expert for automation solutions in industrial production, and Endress+Hauser, a specialist for instrumentation, have inaugurated their first joint test plant for validation purposes in Europe.

Core elements of the test plant at Endress+Hauser's site in Maulburg, Germany, are three massive tanks, each one containing between 2,000 and 26,000 litres of oil.

On the tanks, more than 20 instruments from Endress+Hauser with different measuring methods have been installed, all of them communicating with Rockwell Automation’s Plant PAx control system.

In this way, all personnel at the test centre obtain specific information and diagnostics relating to the tank contents at a glance.

The original idea of a joint installation came from the Process Training Units established by Endress+Hauser with the support of Rockwell Automation in recent years.

At 10 facilities in the US, Colombia, China, and Canada, sales representatives and product specialists from both companies host practical training sessions for their customers.

These courses comprise installation training, simulations under real conditions, diagnostics and comparisons of different technologies.

With an investment of several hundred thousand euros, the first joint test centre for Europe in Maulburg takes this concept and establishes new standards.

The centre is surrounded by the Endress+Hauser production site for level and pressure measurement technology and focuses on product validation.

Research and development take centre stage to align new products to customer requirements at an early phase under real application and environmental conditions.

“All of our products must pass testing at the validation centre and prove that they create a sustainable added value for customers. They are exposed to extreme endurance tests,” said Gerd Gritsch, division manager for quality management at Endress+Hauser Maulburg.

In Maulburg, the collaboration between Endress+Hauser and Rockwell includes R&D, training employees and customers at the validation centre, and offering hands-on learning for students.

Last year, 2,600 external visitors trained on the test plant’s tanks and systems.