Ulrich Turck

IEN: Mr. Turck, this year, many of your competitors decided not to exhibit at Hannover Messe. On the other hand, Turck presented itself quite impressively in hall 9. How was the trade show for you?
Turck: In view of the current difficult market situation, we are absolutely satisfied with the outcome of Hannover Messe and the contacts we made there. After a quiet Monday, a lot of visitors came to our new stand location right at the entrance of hall 9 on the subsequent days. It's only natural that in the current situation, every investment has to be carefully reconsidered. However, our customer proximity - on site as well as at trade shows - must not suffer from this. That is the reason why we will exhibit at Achema in Frankfurt for our customers within the process automation industry.

IEN: What are the current product highlights at the trade shows where you exhibit?
Turck: At first, I would like to mention the Interface Module Backplane (IMB). With this new interface technology concept, our customers have the possibility of transferring a huge amount of I/O signals in a space, energy and thus very cost saving way. Cost efficiency is also one of the driving forces for the further development of our BL20 remote I/O system to be used in ATEX zone 2, for which we now also offer a HART module.

IEN: Especially in the field of RFID, your products marked the cutting edge over the past few years. Could you please provide us with a brief insight what can be expected in that area in the near future?
Turck: Regarding ourRFID system BL ident, we were able to combine our know-how in the fields of sensor, fieldbus and connection technology in an ideal way to offer a complete solution that was met with a high demand on the part of our customers. Undoubtedly, one of the reasons for the high demand is that we continuously adapt the system to the specific requirements for industrial applications. Since the launch of BL ident, we have, for example, added to the system a number of application-specific data storage media, as well as read/write heads, but also programmable gateways for a fast data communication. Furthermore, the Turck RFID system is especially appealing because it can combine the read/write heads with our decentralized IP 67 and IP20 fieldbus systems in serveral ways. As a consequence, the customer gets an attractive, easy-to-use complete system for all installation requirements.

IEN: Just recently you incorporated the industrial vision products of your business associate Banner into your product portfolio in Germany. What was the reason for taking that step?
Turck: By taking that step, we were able to to extend our industrial identification portfolio - built around our RFID system BL ident - by vision-based solutions, thus opening up a market for new fields of application, especially within the area of quality management. Just true to our motto: Sense it, Connect it, Bus it, Solve it. Moreover, Turck has now estabilished in Germany a structure like in all other European countries: a consistant sales channel for Banner and Turck products that complement each other in an ideal way.

IEN: Do you plan to do your own Turck R&D in the field of industrial vision technology?
Turck: No, all optical solutions within the Turck portfolio - from the light curtain to the camera - have been and will remain products from our strategic business associate Banner, the market leader in the USA within its business area.

IEN: Which new products do you offer in that field?
Turck: One solution that draws a lot of attention on the fairgoers' as well as the customers' side is the new vision sensor iVu. This compact device combines the performance of classic vision system with the easy use of sensors. The product has a touch screen and can be set up without a PC in just a few minutes.

IEN: Mr. Turck, thank you for the interview.


Facts & Figures
Founded: 1965
Employees worldwide: about 2,800
Turnover 2008: about 370 million Euro
Headquarters: Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
Main product lines: Sensor, interface, fieldbus and connection