It is not uncommon to hear talk of a dream team, as the fusion of the tube, cable, wire and plant industries with artificial intelligence promises new heydays. But every connection needs a viable basis – and that is the increasing digitisation and automation for sheet metal and pipe processing, for example.
High energy prices, bureaucratic jungles, the desire for more sustainability and an increasing shortage of skilled workers – the challenges for the industry are manifold and a burden on competitiveness. In order to be fitter for the market, more and more companies are therefore relying on artificial intelligence.
Germany as an example: AI is increasingly being used in the industrial sector – according to the ifo Institute (Institute for Economic Research), 46.7 percent of companies in the manufacturing sector are already using it. Particularly high usage rates are evident in the automotive industry, in mechanical engineering and in the chemical industry. According to the Federation of German Industries (BDI), AI could “noticeably increase” Germany's production potential. It is therefore no surprise that it is becoming apparent that AI is “becoming increasingly relevant in the industrial sector”.
AI: Detect irregularities, make predictions
At TRUMPF, AI is already a decisive factor for the future of the company: in its work, its products and services. “AI enables us to optimise processes, increase efficiency and offer our customers innovative solutions that strengthen their competitiveness,” explains Sarah Engel, Head of AI at TRUMPF.
However, in order for AI to unfold its potential, large amounts of data and learning mechanisms are needed. Among other things, this enables AI to analyse data, identify regularities and irregularities, make predictions, automate processes, generate texts and images, or operate knowledge management. “We want to use AI comprehensively to create added value in as many areas of our company as possible – such as sales, human resources, research, development and the production of our products and services,” explains Sarah Engel from the mechanical engineering group Trumpf.
“We don't run out of use cases”
The aim of TRUMPF is to identify fields of application in which AI creates great added value. “We want to realise this step by step.” The added value of AI extends through all areas of the company and varies depending on the application. “We have already been able to identify some potentials. For example, we can process customer requests faster and more personalised, offer training more cost-efficiently and comprehensively, develop software more efficiently, save costs and energy in production and bring about sales growth thanks to the innovations in our products and services. We are not running out of use cases,” reports Sarah Engel. Rather, it is about implementing them in a focused way and realising the added value in a measurable way.
For instance, Transfluid: The company has also been keeping an eye on Industry 4.0 for a long time. Depending on the customer base, it gradually converts its products to 4.0-capable communication and also offers corresponding downstream software. So, the future has already begun.
Accessible to a wider range of users
The SMS group also emphasises that digitisation and Industry 4.0 will increasingly change the tube and wire industry to a large extent. SMS is already using AI in software development and engineering, while integrating it into more and more applications for customers. In the metals industry, according to SMS, artificial intelligence (AI) will “accelerate digital transformation by making advanced technologies more accessible and intuitive to a wider range of users. ”
On the way to autonomous production
For example, SMS has developed the X-Pact® Digital Hub. “A new milestone on the way to fully autonomous production in the metal industry,” SMS emphasises. X-Pact® Hub brings together over 300 industrial software applications and third-party usage on a single platform. The result is a holistic process optimization – with “increased productivity and efficiency for entire production routes while at the same time superior to stand-alone solutions in data flows, workflows, rules and interoperability”.
With the X-Pact® Digital Hub, SMS group offers a uniform, scalable software ecosystem “that accelerates the transformation of the metal industry towards fully autonomous production,” says Thiago Turchetti Maia, Executive Vice President, Automation, Digital & Service Solutions, SMS group GmbH. By consolidating applications, data flows and intelligent services, as well as a unified user experience, SMS brings automation and digitization together. “The X-Pact® Digital Hub takes productivity, stability and sustainability to the next level for our customers.”
AI-controlled robots
The use of AI in the control of robots also raises them to a very effective level and optimises, for example, the welding, bending and cutting of pipes or the transport and storage of products. AI-connected robots can make decisions and improve workflows on their own – boundaries shift and greater competitiveness becomes possible. Even if the investments in this dream team of AI and robotics are not insignificant, they can pay off according to experts – and lead to new heydays.
Explore trends and highlights from the wire, cable and tube industries at the wire & Tube Expo from 13 to 17 April 2026 in Düsseldorf. The latest industry news and product updates can be found via our online portals www.wire.de and www.tube.de, and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/wire-and-tube-leading-international-trade-fairs/.
