Nicole Oberschmidleitner is Head of Mechatronic Products at Primetals Technologies, and has been with the company for 16 years.
What are the most important objectives for current-generation measurement devices?
Nicole Oberschmidleitner: The main objectives are to ensure optimal operation of all involved production equipment, streamline maintenance efforts, enable seamless documentation, and allow for product analyses.
Have measuring devices changed due to the trend toward digitalization?
Nicole Oberschmidleitner: Certainly. In general, there has been a push toward more software-led devices that make the operators’ lives easier. You can compare this development to that of recent smartphone cameras. They take great photos thanks to their software even if you don’t know much about the internal workings. Also, measurement data is now automatically fed into automation systems for calibration to avoid human error.
In the future, will less human labor be required in taking measurements?
Nicole Oberschmidleitner: The process of taking measurements has clearly become more efficient. Multiple readings can now be obtained at the same time. The main benefit of today’s technologies is that operators don’t have to be experts, because the measuring process is largely self-explanatory.
